Powerless
by Ms. Perception
Summary: During a routine recon mission for SHIELD, Clint disappears without a trace. In trying to find him, the team stumbles across an unwelcome and psychotic blast from Clint's past out for revenge. And it seems he's not working alone... In other words, Clint's in danger. Must be Tuesday.
1. I'll Be Gone

**Summary:** During a routine recon mission for SHIELD, Clint disappears without a trace. In trying to find him, the team stumbles across an unwelcome (and psychotic) blast from Clint's past out for revenge. And it seems he's not working alone... In other words, Clint's in danger. Must be Tuesday.

**Pairings:** Clintasha and background Peppernony

**Warnings:** Just general spoilers for the movie… but everyone should've seen it already by now so no worries!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned anything having to with the _Avengers_ I would be a rich, happy woman. Instead I am a broke, happy woman. One out of two isn't that bad.

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone! This story is kind of the unofficial sequel to my other story 'Savior'. It started off as a one-shot for Dynamics but it started growing and mutating. So I decided it would just be its own story set in that verse. Don't ask how it fits in with the Dynamics story because I really don't know. Anyway, this is the first chapter. The story is pretty much written at this point. So I'm sharing what I have. Hope you all enjoy. Ciao for now.

* * *

**I'll Be Gone**

Tony never thought he would actually live to see the day when Agent Phil Coulson displayed real human emotions. He freely admitted not being entirely certain that the man even had emotions. He never reacted to Tony's well timed and carefully crafted barbs. He barely batted an eye at Thor's latest hilarious attempts at mastering Earth's culture. He seemed completely oblivious to Bruce's strange new theory that his suits were an extension of his skin (a theory Bruce employed a very engaged Clint in helping to prove). Really the only times Tony ever saw Coulson come close to displaying genuine emotion were his adorkable fan boy moments around Steve. But those don't count because they're just too cute! Tony has never seen Coulson well and truly pissed off. He saw the security footage at the gas station in New Mexico. Phil wasn't even angry while being held at gunpoint. But he was now.

Truthfully Phil he was beyond pissed at the moment. The man was displaying new levels of pissed that had yet to be fully explored and they lived with the giant, green personification of rage and anger. As much as Tony thought he wanted to see it before, he was suddenly wishing he was anywhere but here because here was not a good place. Here had a thoroughly angry Phil Coulson with a gun. Tony really wished he was with Clint because then maybe he could bring him back and end the pissed off reign of Phil Coulson. Because at this point nothing short of the safe and sound return of their resident archer was going to stop Phil from popping a cap in someone's ass before the day was over. Actually even that probably wasn't going to stop him but it might at least decrease the severity of their no doubt horrible agonizing deaths. The keyword being might. Tony wasn't really banking on that one.

"Can one of you very special agents explain how the hell you managed to lose a grown goddamn man?" Phil asked. His voice was its usual level of calm and disinterested but Tony knew it was just his mask. The swearing and condescension were a dead giveaway. That and the fact that his hand yet to move away from his gun at his hip. Oh yeah, someone was definitely getting shot today. Then, almost as if the scene needed any further madness, a loud roar echoed through the hanger. There was also a high chance of Hulk smashing at some point too. Awesome.

"Steve?" Tony asked, caution evident in his voice. "You've got Bruce under control, right? I know I'm a billionaire but there is only so much I'm willing to pay repairs for the hellicarrier. Especially since they deserve it this time."

"Oh, yeah everything is," Steve's voice hesitated over the comm. A thunderous crash echoed in the room adjacent to Tony and the scary showdown from hell. "No! That's a bad Hulk. That is not what Thor's head is for! Put him down!"

Tony's eyes widened. He briefly contemplated going in there, because really what the hell was going on, but he decided that he was better off here making sure that Coulson didn't just jump the gun and straight murder the idiot agents. As much as they may deserve it, they were still employees of SHIELD and Tony really didn't want to have to break in another handler after Fury had Coulson removed. He also knew that despite their incompetence the agents were the only functional clue they had at the moment as to what happened to Clint. This was definitely not how he imagined spending his Saturday.

Then again he imagined this was not the ideal Saturday for anyone involved (though he didn't really care about the moronic agents that lost Clint because they freaking lost Clint!). The Saturday from Hell was really an off shoot from Friday. Fury called interrupting Tony's scheduled quality bonding time with Clint, i.e. the time they spent planning to blow stuff up. Bruce was close at hand to supervise, i.e. aid and abet any and all explosive plans. Or at least that was their intent. Fury's call put the kibosh on those plans quickly. The only reason Tony didn't hold Fury accountable for this massive fail was that he seemed regretful before he even explained the situation.

The World Security Council (oh, there were not enough words in any language to describe how much Tony hated those pompous, presumptuous assholes) decided that as Clint was still an active agent of SHIELD, it was time that he went back to work in SHIELD's best interests. On paper it seemed like a simple mission. Clint would serve as eyes for a group of field agents following up on some intelligence received about some illegal shady thing (Tony never really did figure out what it was that SHIELD did beside try their best to boss them around). It was ridiculously easy. Clint could've done that on his own with enough time to get home and help Tony and Bruce figure out if Thor's cape could burn with or without being attached to the god but apparently the Council wanted to screw with the man so they stuck him with four of the greenest agents SHIELD had.

The Avengers protested the decision. Of course they did. Because when Natasha agreed to a solo deep cover mission under an old alias, she made them promise that Clint would be in exactly the same condition as she left him. There may have been a knife in her hand that she may have used to further demonstrate the many ways she would hurt them if Clint was not ok when she came back. Tony took those threats (more like promises) seriously. He was all for wrapping the archer in bubble wrap and locking him in a padded room but that plan was vetoed by all of them. Bet they were really regretting that decision now.

"Sir," one of the braver baby agents said, clearing his throat. His gaze traveling between Phil's placid face and the hand that refused to stray away from the gun on his hip. "I'm not sure how we lost contact with Barton."

"Agent," Tony interjected, earning several glacial looks. He rolled his eyes. Natasha did it better. "It's Agent Barton to you."

"Why is he even here?" the agent henceforth known as Stupid Ass demanded petulantly, still glaring in Tony's direction.

"He is here because in the absence of Agent Romanoff, he and the other Avengers are Agent Barton's partners," Coulson replied, smoothly. "They are also the team assigned to retrieving one of the most valuable assets SHIELD has to offer. I suggest you be as accommodating as possible. Bringing Agent Barton back in any condition other than alive and well is not an option."

"Thank you, Phil," Tony beamed in Coulson's direction. He may have been mistaken but he was certain there was a ghost of a smile on the man's face. Interesting. He shook his head. "Ok, so let's see if we can try and figure out where exactly you screwed up and lost my friend."

One of the other agents opened their mouth, most likely to protest but it was cut off by another booming growl. A tiny yelp was heard over the communication line that only Coulson and Tony were privy to. Which is why they were the only two to duck in time to avoid the thunder god shaped missile that burst through the wall that was formerly separating the hanger from the very pissed off Hulk. The agents all panicked and pulled out their guns. Tony rolled his eyes again. This was just sad. He ignored them, instead glancing over his shoulder at his friend. A hand shot out of the wreckage followed closely by a blond head of hair.

"Thor? You alive, buddy?"

"Barely," the god muttered, pushing himself up using his hammer. He staggered over to where Tony was standing. "Please tell me you've news on where our comrade has gone. I do not think I can continue engaging the Hulk when he is in this state of mind."

Tony feigned a look of surprised horror. "The mighty Thor admits to being too tired to fight? Is the world coming to an end?"

Thor glared at him from behind his sweat soaked hair. Tony couldn't remember the last time he saw the god look so disheveled. "Son of Stark, I believe the most appropriate response at the moment I can give at the moment is: screw you."

"Who taught you sass?"

"Clint," Steve replied, stepping through the demolished wall. "And you, but mostly Clint." Bruce was close behind him. The baby agents were still trembling, standing with their guns drawn and pointed in Bruce's direction. Steve stopped and actually was the closest to looking annoyed at someone that wasn't a member of the Avengers or an evil, megalomaniacal baddie bent on worldwide destruction that any of them had ever seen before. It was a miracle day all around.

"I really wouldn't suggest doing that. We just managed to calm him down."

Bruce's eyes flashed green as he tugged at the shirt clearly stolen from someone's locker. Tony really hoped it was Stupid Ass' locker. He ignored the guns and walked over to Thor. They exchanged calculating looks before nodding. Just like that the grudge match was pushed to the backburner again and they were back in business. Tony grinned slightly. Sometimes this family stuff was pretty awesome.

"So now that we're all as assembled as we're going to get for now, SHIELD's finest over here was getting ready to tell us all about how they managed to lose track of Clint."

Though Tony liked to think his snark and wit was intimidating, he wasn't stupid enough to believe that he was the reason they were so quick to talk. He knew that had everything to do with the two towering muscle bound blonds and the scientist with the glowing green eyes. The Hulk was too close to the surface and their usual calming agent was currently missing in action. Tony resigned himself to getting used to seeing the too familiar gamma glow instead of his best friend's brown eyes until they finally found Hulk's Cupid.

These were the facts as reported by Stupid Ass and his equally stupid team as interpreted by Tony: Clint, probably realizing that they were idiots, was up high and as far removed from them as possible. The bumbling morons that never should've made it past basic training walked straight into the warehouse without scoping out the scene first, or trusting Clint's repeated orders not to walk inside. Naturally it was a trap. Pretty much the only reason they weren't all horribly dead was because Clint did what Clint did best, shooting the hell out of anyone that dared to sneak up on his team. So the junior idiots scrambled out of the warehouse to regroup with Clint. Instead of a pissed off Hawkeye, however, they found his quiver and a few arrows lying on his roof perch. There were a few splotches of blood that SHIELD confirmed was Clint's. But no sign of Clint. The facts were stupid. The agents were stupid. And they weren't going to get anywhere just going off their word. That meant only one thing.

"Field trip!"

* * *

"Ok, so according to the junior moron brigade, Clint was standing right here," Tony said, crouching in the spot where his friend stood only hours before. He glanced down at the warehouse across from his position. Though he lacked Clint's insane eyesight, he could see into the open floor area where Thor and Steve were looking for some sort of sign of who set the trap in the first place. He and Bruce were on the roof directly across from them looking for a clue or something that would tell them who or what was able to grab Clint in broad daylight. Supposedly with a team that was supposed to have his back. Instead he was gone without a trace.

"So someone had to sneak up on him from behind," Bruce rumbled behind him. Tony gave him an assessing look. "I'm trying. Trust me, Tony. I'm trying. But this is such bull. We just got him back. Natasha was finally getting to believe that he wasn't going to disappear and I stopped worrying that he was going to starve himself to death. Now he's missing."

Tony sighed. He was trying to keep a distance from the faint panic that was growing since JARVIS reported that the communication line that Tony was not so secretly hacking went dead. He tried tracking Clint's signal after that but there was nothing. They found the tiny earwig on the roof meaning that they had nothing to track Clint by. It was almost as if he vanished into thin air. It was depressing and the longer they went without some indication that they would find him, the more Tony felt like they wouldn't. But was just not acceptable. Not only because of Natasha but because Tony was finally getting used to this team thing. He didn't want to imagine them a member short… he didn't want to imagine them without Clint.

"We're going to get him back, Bruce," Tony said, forcing himself to sound believable. He was somewhat successful. At least he managed to keep the fine edge of panic and anxiety out of his tone. "We have to. Tasha is going to kill us otherwise."

Bruce gave him a weak smile before nodding. The green lightening somewhat. "Ok, so someone snuck up behind him and attacked."

"This is Hawkeye we're talking about. Even if they snuck up on him, he'd just use his bow to like ninja stab them," Tony shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't he fight back against whoever grabbed him?"

"Who said he didn't?" Bruce murmured quietly. Tony was about to call him on the random comment when he noticed what caught his friend's eye. It was another blood stain. There was enough distance between them to let them believe that it probably belonged to whoever attacked Clint. Tony smirked. He knelt down to take a sample with the suit's computer strapped to his wrist.

"Jinkies, Bruce! I think we just found a clue."

"Want a Scooby snack, Velma?" Bruce retorted with a smirk of his own.

"Nah, save it for Thor. He's the Scooby in this piece." Tony paused, tilting his head up to look at Bruce. "You do realize this means that Clint is Daphne."

"This would mean that Natasha is Fred. That is scarily accurate. I'm a little concerned now."

"Eh, too late for concerns, no matter how legitimate. You're in this now, Banner. And you just need to accept the madness for what it is." The computer beeped. "Ok, results are in. In the case of the mystery splotch, the culprit is a man named Jacque Duquesne."

"Son of a bitch," Bruce cursed, lurching to his feet. He clutched his head as he paced, trying to burn off the anger.

"Ok, ok," Tony babbled, noticing the movements and what they inevitably led to. "Before you go all grr, argh on me, what's going on? Do we know him? Why do we know him? And why is he going around hunting down our Hawk?"

"Look up…. Swordsman," Bruce grunted. He fell to his knees. He could see Bruce's muscles shifting under his skin, expanding… growing and slowly turning green.

"Uh, Steve?"

"Hey, did you guys find something?"

Tony giggled nervously, staring at his friend who was transforming before his eyes. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. We found something but I don't think the Hulk liked it very much."

"You mean Bruce."

Tony imagined Steve winced too as the completely changed Bruce bellowed in his direction. "No, I mean The Hulk. He's back. Just as charming as this morning."

"Sounds like. Thor and I are on our way. Try and keep him calm."

"I'm sorry. Do I look like Clint?" Tony drawled, looking up at the giant, green rage monster that was currently looming over him. There was no hint of recognition in the Hulk's eyes and Tony knew that Bruce probably just reached the Coulson level of angry. So not good… for Tony. "Hey there, buddy!"

"Cupid," the Hulk grunted. "Stupid man took Cupid. Hulk smash stupid man!"

"And I'm all for that. Solid plan but right now I need you to calm down a little. I need you to explain who the hell this Jacque Duquesne person is and why do we hate him besides the fact that he's clearly French."

"Hulk Smash!"

"Ok, so calm and rational is not happening any time soon," Tony muttered. "Thor, Steve, any day now." The Hulk roared again and Tony took an uneasy step backwards. He was starting to see Steve's point of view. When he was in the suit, he felt invincible. But standing in front of the enraged Hulk, he realized just how fragile and vulnerable he really was. Not a good feeling. "Bruce, remind me to be very angry with you later." The Hulk continued to seethe, glaring around the roof as if he could understand what was going on. Tony ducked as a piece of some no doubt critical part of the building went flying past his head. He didn't have enough time to dodge the second part.

It struck him on the temple, temporarily dazing him. He forgot why he wasn't supposed to take a step back. But he remembered when his heel didn't land on solid ground. The Hulk roared. Tony fell. It was a ten story drop. There was no way that he was going to live through that. Especially not without his suit. Bruce was going to be devastated because he accidentally killed Tony. Clint would still be missing and Phil was going to murder the moron agent brigade and get demoted to the SHIELD equivalent of a traffic cop. Today was really the worst day ever.

And then suddenly his rapid descent towards a bloody horrible death came to an abrupt halt. He opened the eyes he didn't realize he'd squeezed shut to see Steve hanging off the fire escape. He somehow managed to grab Tony's shirt as he fell past the super solider. The genius looked up into a pair of strained blue eyes and smirked.

"Cutting it a bit close, aren't we?"

"Where's the gratitude?" Steve asked, shifting so that he had Tony in a more secure hold.

"There'd be gratitude if you got me before he knocked me off the roof."

Steve rolled his eyes, glancing past Tony at something and then letting go. Tony didn't have time to wonder why he let go before Thor was flying him up back to solid ground. He glanced down to see Steve racing up the fire escape to join his three teammates… although it was a little questionable as to what team the Hulk was on at the moment. It most certainly wasn't Thor's as he punched the god in the face, sending him flying into rooftop stairway access. He was stomping towards him again when Steve finally reached the top and appeared in front of his raging friend.

"Bruce, I really hate to do this but it's for your own good."

The Hulk roared yet again. Tony was starting to hate that sound when it was directed at them. Thor groaned, climbing uneasily out the rubble to stand behind Steve. "I believe that he may have a difference of opinion on that matter."

Steve blinked at him, turning to glance at Tony over his shoulder. "You're right, Tone. Thor and Clint are not allowed to spend any more time alone. They're starting to sound like alike."

"He finally admits I'm right," Tony muttered. He watched as Steve pulled out what appeared to be a SHIELD issued gun, pointing it at the Hulk. "And this helps the situation, how?"

Steve didn't answer. He didn't need to as he fired the gun at their friend. A purple dart stuck out of the large green bicep. The Hulk looked at the tiny object in confusion before he staggered. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he started to collapse. He was Bruce again before he hit the ground.

"Well, bright side, no more green rage monster tossing us around for a few hours. Downside, Bruce seemed to know who we're looking for," Tony said, joining the two blondes standing over Bruce. He saw Thor nudge him a little harder than necessary with his foot but didn't blame him much for the reaction. "Whoever it is, it's bad. It triggered that."

"Let's look into it. Did he say anything before he hulked out?" Steve asked, not looking at Tony. He looked like he was trying to figure out how they were going to manage to get Bruce off the roof now that the stairs were destroyed. Tony was a little lost about that as well. Especially since his head felt funny. "Tony?"

"Uh, he said something about a Swordsman," he replied, absently. Everything was starting to feel a little fuzzy. And there was something dripping in his eyes. It was getting really annoying. He lifted a hand to wipe it away, frowning when his hand came away covered in something red and sticky. "Uh, guys?"

He heard Steve let out a curse quite unbecoming for the personification of America's ideals. He felt Thor move beside him, mumbling something about staying awake. Tony wasn't aware that he was falling asleep in the first place. But now that the topic was broached, he was feeling a little tired. There was something that he needed to do but it could wait until after he took a nap. The last thing he registered before everything went pleasantly dark was Steve's pained and world weary sigh.

"Natasha is going to kill us."

* * *

Clint wanted to go on record by saying that today sucked balls. First, he was stuck with a bunch of agents that had to be legally retarded. There was no other way to describe it. They were retarded. What else could be the excuse for blatantly walking into a trap when the guy with the crazy awesome eyesight is telling you that it's a trap? Seriously, Fury was definitely scrapping the bottom of the barrel with those idiots. He didn't want to be there in the first place. The least they could've done was listen to him. But no, they didn't. They went straight into the warehouse where they were promptly attacked by a good dozen men. Four SHIELD agents versus twelve men should've been easy but he learned fairly early into this mess that these guys sucked. A lot. So he intervened, shooting arrow after arrow at the men attacking his unfortunate team. Which led to the second reason his day sucked: he got kidnapped. Like actually legitimately kidnapped. In broad daylight, one building away from trained SHIELD agents!

But it was his fault really. He screwed up. He was too used to working with a competent team. There was always someone to watch his back… except for now when the Council was forcing him to work with the incompetent junior idiots. There was no one watching his back then. Tony or Thor would've seen the man creeping behind him. They would've taken him out before he even lifted the sword. Clint finally picked up on his presence just a second before he struck. The leather strap holding his quiver in place was sliced in half, sending the arrows to the ground. There was another jab towards him, this time glancing over his arm leaving a deep gash along his bicep. He fell heavily at the unexpected hit. Clint glared up at his attacker. The frown dropped, replaced by a look of dawning horror as he recognized who was attacking him.

"No."

"Well hello there, Clinton. Miss me?"

Clint's eyes widen as he stared at the definitely unwelcome blast from the already unpleasant past. "What… what are you doing here?"

Jacque Duquesne smiled at his former protégé with all the coldness he remembered from that horrible night. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd check on you. I did raise you after all. I feel some sort of responsibility for you."

Clint swallowed. Suddenly, he felt like he was fifteen again. He remembered every lash, every strike, every kick, every punch… he remembered it all. He knew it was years ago. He knew that it was all in the past and that he was an adult. He was goddamn superhero. He fought aliens and gods. He should not be afraid of this man. But damned if he wasn't. Jacque took a step towards him, causing Clint to scramble backwards, made awkward and painful by his lack of two functioning arms.

"Stay away from me," he said, trying to calm himself. He was panicking but he couldn't help it. This was his worst nightmare. He would rather be with Loki again than have to deal with this. "I… I don't know what you want…. I don't really even care. Just stay the hell away from me."

"That's a horrible way to treat an old friend, Clinton."

"You would know all about that," Clint retorted. When in doubt always fall back on sarcasm. Then he noticed that his tongue felt heavy. He tried to get up and put more distance between him and his former mentor but his body wasn't obeying his commands. He felt dizzy. Fear gripped him once again as he locked eyes with Duquesne. "What did you do to me?"

The older man crouched down so that he was eye level with Clint. "My dear boy, I know your skills well. This was the only way I could make sure you'd behave for our little trip."

"Leave me 'lone," Clint slurred. He tried to fight the drug he could almost feel wreaking havoc in his body. He couldn't control his own limbs. It was terrifying. Especially with that sick freak standing over him, eyeing him like a tiger would his prey. And if fifteen years ago was any indication that was a very accurate assessment.

"I would but you see there's something I need. Fortunately, you're in a position to help me get it. I finally get my revenge on you for ratting me out to Carson and my employer gets the mutual satisfaction of watching your little band of freaks suffer."

"Stay… away," Clint tried to finish the end of that, he really did. But his body didn't agree. His vision was graying out but he still tried to fight. He wasn't quite sure what was going on but he did know that somehow or another he was going to be used to hurt his friends. He didn't care if Duquesne wanted to get revenge on him but he drew the line at him messing with one of his team.

Through great effort and sheer determination, he managed to move his arm towards one of the discarded arrows. He picked it up in his trembling arm before throwing it at the man with all his strength. Instead of catching him in the eye, as intended, it landed in his arm. His former mentor staggered before ripping out the arrow with an incredulous glare. The last thing Clint registered before everything went black was Duquesne's enraged growl and the hilt of his sword coming way too close to his face.

Today really sucked.

* * *

*The end for now. Hope you enjoyed. Next part should be up in a few days.


	2. Lies Greed Misery

**Summary:** During a routine recon mission for SHIELD, Clint disappears without a trace. In trying to find him, the team stumbles across an unwelcome (and psychotic) blast from Clint's past out for revenge. And it seems he's not working alone... In other words, Clint's in danger. Must be Tuesday.

**Pairings:** Clintasha and background Peppernony

**Warnings:** Just general spoilers for the movie… but everyone should've seen it already by now so no worries!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned anything having to with the _Avengers_ I would be a rich, happy woman. Instead I am a broke, happy woman. One out of two isn't that bad.

**Author's Note:** Gonna keep it short today. Thank you for all the love. I truly appreciate it. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as well. Ciao for now.

* * *

**Lies. Greed. Misery**

Bruce woke with a start. He glanced around his unfamiliar surrounding in confusion. The last thing he remembered was Steve standing in front of him with a gun and then nothing. Clearly judging by the rhythmic beeping and smell of antiseptic, he was back at SHIELD's HQ in the medical ward. He also had no real idea as to why he was there or how long he was out this time. He didn't always remember everything that happened when he let the Other Guy loose but lately he was learning more control. He was able to piece it together like fragments of a forgotten dream. But this was more like a nightmare. Because if his memory was correct, he definitely hulked out, threw an epic tantrum before knocking Tony off a building. Oh god.

"He's fine."

He turned to see Thor sitting in a chair next to his bed. There was no sign of the abuse that the Hulk inflicted on the god but he could see the exhaustion and stress in his friend's eyes. But he also saw no condemnation in the blue orbs either. Almost as if he knew what Bruce was thinking, Thor stretched forward, placing his hand over Bruce's.

"You are concerned about our young friend," Thor smiled. "We all struggle with controlling our abilities in moments of true emotion. I have not made use of Mjolnir because I fear the consequences of such action."

He was actually wondering why Thor didn't use his hammer while fighting the Hulk. Now he knew. Mjolnir was dangerous on its own. With a pissed off thunder god wielding the magic hammer, there was no telling the consequences. Bruce nodded. His eyes drifted to the other bed in the room. The other bed that was recently unoccupied judging by the disarray of the sheets. There was less medical equipment by that bed than his but still couldn't reconcile that with the fact that he actually knocked Tony off a roof. He hurt one of his friends. Well two of his friends, but Thor was a little more durable. It struck him in that moment why the Hulk was normally so protective of Tony and Clint. Even Natasha had her version of the super serum giving her enhancements similar to Steve. She was safe but Clint and Tony were vulnerable. Tony was vulnerable and he knocked him off a freaking roof!

"How badly did I hurt him?"

"To say that he went against the Hulk without the use of his armor, he is fine," Thor answered carefully. Bruce continued to stare at him. "He suffered a head injury. It bled profusely but the healers assured us that head wounds tend to bleed heavily. He woke up not too long ago with his mouth already working trying to solve our friend's disappearance. Our leader is currently occupied with following after him to insure that he does not injure himself further."

Bruce nodded again. "Did you find anything else about Clint?"

Thor's face darkened. Bruce didn't think it was just a coincidence that it suddenly decided to rain at that exact moment. It was moments like these that really reminded Bruce that their friend was a god. A very powerful and dangerous god. He was just grateful that Thor was on their side.

"We researched the owner of the blood from the rooftop. We also searched for the name you gave before your unfortunate transformation. It would appear that Clint's former mentor is indeed back in NYC."

"His flight landed a week ago," Tony finished, breezing into the infirmary with an exasperated Steve on his heels. He had a tablet in his hand. His free hand was tapping rapidly at the screen. But that wasn't what caught Bruce's attention. It was the bandage over his right temple and the nasty looking black eye. Tony glanced away from the screen to meet Bruce's guilty gaze. "Ah, Bruce, you're awake. Good, Steve thought he killed you with the tranquilizer dart from hell. Also on a side note, I changed all the codes to your lab and may have not so accidentally destroyed a couple of your experiments. So we're even."

Bruce opened his mouth to protest but closed it just as quickly. He should've known that Tony wouldn't really blame him. He couldn't help but feel guilty but he pushed it to the side. Guilt wasn't going to help them get Clint back. He needed to get his head straight. Once they had Clint back, he could worry about making it up to Tony and Thor.

"So Duquesne is here in the city. How'd he find Clint?"

"Who is he?" Steve cut in. "You guys keep talking about him but who is he?"

"And how does he know our friend?" Thor added.

Tony arched an eyebrow in Bruce's direction. Though he loathed the idea of sharing Clint's story without the archer present, he had a feeling they weren't just going to accept that he was associated with Clint. Besides they needed to know what this man was capable of and how deep the hurt ran.

"As you all know, Clint's parents died when he was pretty young. He and his brother were placed in an orphanage. They ran away after six years there and joined the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonders. Clint was noticed by one of the star acts in the circus, The Swordsman. He took him on as an apprentice."

"Swordsman, that's the name you told me to look up."

"Yes, that's the stage name for Jacque Duquesne. He was Clint's mentor. But he learned his archery skills from a man stage named Trick Shot," Bruce paused for a moment, trying to find the best way to explain the next part. "A few years after that, Clint discovered that his mentor was stealing funds from the circus. When he tried to expose him, Duquesne beat him and left him for dead. Instead of helping him, his so-called brother abandoned him."

Thor let out a low growl and thunder rumbled in a mockery of an echo outside. "Is this why Clint is the way that he is today? Why he still does not give his complete trust to us?"

"Yes," Bruce sighed. "Between Duquesne and his brother, I think Clint doesn't really know how to trust people. But that's beside the point. Duquesne left him to literally die in a ditch. For all intents and purposes, he should've thought that Clint was dead. So why is he back now? What's his endgame?"

"This is his endgame," Coulson announced, stalking into the room and tossing a folder down on Bruce's bed. The gamma scientist picked it up, well aware of Tony hovering over his shoulder. He opened the folder and heard Tony take a harsh breath.

"What the hell does this have to do with Hammer?"

Coulson frowned. "It would appear that Mr. Hammer has a fan base. Though his knowledge of technology and weaponry isn't nearly as advanced as Tony's, Hammer doesn't have that pesky morality stopping him from providing tech to the highest bidder. And he has many bidders that are willing to help him escape in order to make them weapons."

Bruce knew that Tony was distracted as the man didn't even respond to Coulson's uncharacteristic compliment. "So you think that Duquesne is helping Hammer? But why take Clint? What does he have to do with any of this?"

"It's because Hammer is in the custody of SHIELD," Tony replied, his tone flat. "SHIELD has Hammer and Duquesne wants him. They probably wanted an agent of SHIELD to use as leverage to get him out. The fact that they took Clint was just a bonus. Duquesne gets to torture Clint and Hammer knows that it'll be personal to me." Tony's jaw clenched. A darkness that Bruce never thought he would see passed over Tony's face. "I'm going to kill him."

"You're going to have to step in line, Mr. Stark. I'm sure that Agent Romanoff will want a few hits when she gets back."

"Oh, yeah," Tony said, the darkness still lingering in his eyes. "And when exactly will that be?"

"I'd say a few hours."

"You're recalling her?" Steve asked, torn between genuine confusion and concern for the unusual seriousness from Tony.

Coulson gave them a look. "You do realize this is Natasha we're talking about. The fact that we didn't notify her when we first knew Clint was missing automatically put us on her list. Fortunately, I found a bigger target for her to focus on."

"On that note, weren't you two seconds away from killing the junior agents?" Bruce asked, cocking his head to the side. "What happened with that?"

"You didn't kill them, did you?" Steve asked, hesitantly.

Coulson smiled. Bruce would like to go on record by saying that he never wanted to see that smile again. It was cold, evil and wrong. Then he spoke and Bruce totally understood why. "No, I haven't killed them. However, I made it their responsibility to contact Agent Romanoff and notify her of Clint's absence. From what I understand two of the agents are contemplating handing in their resignation while one is trying pathetically to hide in the ventilation system."

Tony snorted. "Good luck with that. Nat's got that thing memorized from all the times we've had to go crawling around in there after Clint."

"Precisely," Coulson grinned, a little less serial killer like this time. "So for now we focus on locating the Swordsman and getting an idea of just how far Hammer's reach has extended."

As if on cue, Tony's tablet beeped. There were simultaneous beeps from each of the gathered men's phones signaling they all received an email. Bruce retrieved his phone and his glasses from the bedside table. He ignored Steve's frustrated sighs as he tried to open the message, and instead focused on seeing what it was. He managed to open the email half a second before Tony tossed the tablet against the wall and stalked out of the medical ward. Bruce, Thor and Steve flinched. Coulson barely acknowledged the reaction. He instead answered his phone which rang shortly after their billionaire stormed out.

"Yes, Director. I received the email. I'll have a team work on tracing the source of the IP address," Coulson paused. His lips curving downward before he nodded sharply. "Yes, boss, I understand. I believe that in this case they will be. Yes, of course. Yes. Ok."

Bruce didn't bother trying to keep up with the conversation. His eyes were locked on the screen in front of him. He felt Steve and Thor sit beside him to see what had their teammate so riled up. The thunder outside grew heavier as the three men stared at a picture of an unconscious bound and gagged Clint. His arms were pulled behind his back but Bruce could still see the bloody gash on his bicep. He took a deep breath, mentally pleading with the Hulk to stay quiet. Right now, they needed his brains and not his strength. But he promised the big guy that when all was said and done, he would have free reign to destroy everything about Justin Hammer and Jacque Duquesne.

"Is it just plain arrogance or is he that sure of his plan?" Thor asked, quietly. "To demand that we trade that criminal for the life of our friend. Does he truly think that we will submit to such madness?"

"Yes, he does because we are," Coulson responded, ending his phone call with Fury. "We're going to trade Hammer for Clint."

"Are you serious? I thought SHIELD wasn't in the habit of negotiating with terrorists," Bruce replied, warily. "Why are you making an exception now?"

"Three reasons really. One, because clearly there was a breach in security. Hammer is in lockdown. No one should know where he is much less that he's even in the custody of SHIELD. Two, don't you wonder how he got to Clint? How did he know to be there this morning? Clint should've been home with the rest of you. Instead he was sent on a mission and kidnapped. Does no one else wonder how this happened?"

"It's because it was a set up the whole time," Steve whispered. "The whole mission was set up to grab Clint in the first place."

"I believe so," Coulson nodded. "This whole thing has been a setup. The entire structure of the agency has been compromised. We cannot afford to play games with this one. We honestly don't know who we can trust in the agency at the moment. We're going to give Duquesne what he wants so that we get Clint back. Then we're going to bring them both down."

"What's the third reason?" Bruce spoke up. "You said there were three reasons. What's the third?"

"He's ours," Coulson replied, firmly. "I don't know about any of you but I'm not in the habit of leaving anyone behind. I'm definitely not about to start with Clint. I don't know him but from what I know, Duquesne is an arrogant bastard. He's so sure that he has us where he wants us that he's bound to make a mistake somewhere. So we give him what he wants for now. We play along and strike when he least expects it."

"Tony isn't going to like this plan," Steve mumbled.

"He'll adjust. For all his whining, the man is not an idiot. He's probably already worked out that this is the only way we're going to get Clint back in anything resembling one piece."

Bruce exchanged looks with Steve and Thor. Despite the fact that Steve was the team's leader and Thor was a military strategist, they were both looking to him to make the final decision. After a brief moment of contemplation, Bruce agreed as well. The logic was sound. He doubted Hammer would allow one of his lackeys to be stupid enough to use a traceable IP address. He also knew that even if they did manage to track it, they wouldn't find their friend there. So this was the least desirable option but the only one that gave Clint a fighting chance.

"So how exactly are we supposed to do this?" Steve asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know that SHIELD doesn't make deals with terrorists. They're not going to just let us borrow Hammer to exchange for Clint."

"Gentlemen, as of the time of that email, the Avengers are officially no longer affiliated with SHIELD. Any actions taken from this moment on are not sanctioned by SHIELD, including potentially freeing a semi competent megalomaniacal arms dealer." Coulson smirked. "In other words, you're free agents. We can't trust the information coming from SHIELD, so we're on our own."

Bruce grinned, noticing the matching satisfied smirks on Steve and Thor's faces. "On second thought, Tony might actually like this plan after all."

* * *

Tony sat in the wreckage of the lab for what seemed like hours. A distant part of him felt remorse for the destruction of the lab equipment (because science!) but a stronger part, the furious part, craved more. He wanted to _destroy_ Hammer. It wasn't enough that the man tried to kill Rhodes and Pepper. Now he was deliberately going after the man he considered to be family. The thought alone just made Tony wish there was something else left to smash in the lab. He scanned the room until he found a stray test tube that rolled under a desk to escape his wrath. He kicked it against a wall with his toe, reveling in the satisfying crunch it made upon impact.

He didn't know how long he was sitting there before he felt her sit beside him. He really wondered what it said about his life that he was so used to people appearing out of thin air. He didn't flinch like he used to when Natasha would suddenly be there. Instead he leaned his head back against the lab table, waiting for her to speak. He really wasn't in the mood for making the first move tonight.

"Classy move," Natasha finally said, watching him from the corner of her eye. "Destroying Bruce's lab like this."

"He knocked me off a building," Tony shrugged with one shoulder. "I'd say he deserved it."

"You already had JARVIS order replacements for all the equipment, didn't you?"

Tony mustered a weak smile. "He has a night to freak out about the broken stuff. The new equipment will be here in the morning."

Natasha reached a hand tentatively towards him. When he didn't pull away from her, she let her hand rest on his splayed legs. "Are you going to be ok?"

"I'm not the one that was kidnapped by his psycho ex-mentor at the bequest of an even more psycho wannabe tech genius."

"No, but you're the one we're going to need to help us get him back," Natasha pointed out, calmly. "Clint needs you to get your head in the game."

"What happened to Clint is my fault," Tony muttered. "He doesn't need me to get my head in the game. He doesn't need me period. This is my fault, Natasha. Hammer hired Clint's very own childhood nightmare to haunt his ass to get back at me. He's mad because I consistently show him up. And the thing is if the situations were reversed, who's to say I wouldn't do the same thing?"

Natasha squeezed his knee gently. "Tony, do you remember what I wrote about you in my initial report to Fury?"

"Yeah, 'volatile, narcissistic, doesn't play well with others'. Not entirely inaccurate."

"This might come as a surprise but I was wrong. I thought I knew you. I thought after observing you for a few weeks that I actually knew everything there was to know about you. But I didn't. I barely scratched the surface."

Tony turned his head with a skeptical expression on his face. "So let me guess this is the part where you tell me that my brave sacrifice was the turning point in your view of me?"

Natasha snorted. "Not even close. I admit to being surprised but it didn't change my mind about you. It was later that night. When we all crashed here."

His brow furrowed as he tried to think back to that night. Nothing stood out to him. They had shawarma and then dragged themselves back to the ruins of the tower. They all practically collapsed where they stood. Well all except Clint and Bruce. Tony suspected that their medical deal started that evening. He saw the way that Clint was carrying himself during their silent meal. He knew Bruce helped him because Clint inexplicably trusted the doctor with the absolute trust he only showed Coulson and Natasha in the beginning after that night. But other than that, he couldn't think of anything that would've demonstrated he was anything other than what Natasha wrote in her report. He supposed that confusion must have stood out on his face as Natasha laughed quietly.

"Everyone sees the flash with you. They miss the man underneath it all. That night was the first time I saw the man underneath the flash. When Clint came back in the room, he started building a nest. You didn't mock him. You didn't question it. You just handed him more blankets. When Steve couldn't sleep, you sat there babbling endlessly until he did. And when Thor refused to sleep because of Loki, you gave him something else to focus on. And possibly started a crippling addiction to reality television, but that was probably inevitable with Thor."

Tony snorted. He remembered seeing Clint with his heavy, haunted eyes and not having the heart to tease him for the obvious nest he was building in the windowsill, the highest flat surface he could find. He remembered Steve struggling to sleep as the adrenaline high came down but finding rest to be an elusive mistress. So he sat there, talking about everything from the weather to an experiment he wanted to try with his nanobites he could implant in his skin to get his suit to form on his own. It only took about ten minutes before Steve was snoring softly. Thor was a bit more difficult but thankfully his curiosity with Earth's culture was able to temporarily erase some of the guilt from his heart, at least for one night.

"You helped them all that night," Natasha continued, reading his facial expression. "That's when I realized that the Avengers Imitative couldn't work without you. You might come across as self-obsessed but it's just another mask. You are nothing like Justin Hammer because you have a heart. You may use that huge brain of yours more than the average human but you act with your equally big heart. I'm not even sure Hammer has a soul. Anyway, you are much more than you seem, Tony Stark. You're a good man."

"Oh yeah, I'm awesome. I'm so goddamn awesome that I get everyone around me hurt. First Pepper, then Rhodey and now Clint."

Natasha sighed. "I know that you didn't get into the hero business willingly. I don't think any of us really did, except Steve and Thor. But the fact of the matter is that we're in this. We all know the risks. We all know that every day is precious because tomorrow is definitely not guaranteed. Clint knows that all too well. We all made our fair share of enemies before we became Avengers. This time it was Hammer that hired Duquesne to go after Clint. But tomorrow it could General Ross using you against Bruce. Or one of the many people Clint's pissed off using me against him. Or Loki using any of us against Thor. The list goes on. We have enemies but we also have each other."

Tony let the words wash over him. It was true. They were stronger together than they were apart. They proved that during their first mission together. They barely liked each other in the beginning and they were still able to save the Earth. Now they were bonded. A united force. Being an Avenger made him feel like he was a part of something important for the first time in his life. He wasn't the self obsessed narcissist when he was with them. He felt like he was somebody important when he was with them. He sat up a little, shaking his head.

"Damn, I am pathetic," he laughed, a little hysteria creeping into his tone. He ran a hand through his hair to ground himself. "I'm sitting on the floor and getting pep talks from an eighty-four year old, emotionally repressed assassin."

"Screw you, Stark. I aged well," Natasha grinned, nudging him in the ribs. "You going to be ok?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm good," he nodded, knowing that he was telling the truth. "So you get the plan from Coulson yet?"

"No, he told me to meet them here and to get briefed on the plan while they break Bruce out of Medical."

Tony arched an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to know the plan? I've had a busy evening of sulking, pouting and doing a rather excellent impersonation of the Hulk and smashing up Bruce's lab."

Natasha mimicked his expression with a twist to her full lips. "Right," she drawled. "Like you haven't had JARVIS tracking every word and movement we've made since Clint went missing. You probably have cameras on Fury and Hill too. I know you, Tony. You knew exactly when the jet landed on the roof."

Tony sniffed. "Since we're putting all the cards on the table, I knew as soon as you hit NYC airspace. And I only have cameras on Fury. Our Wicked Stepmother is almost always around him anyway. Didn't make sense to bother tracking her too. That being said, of course I know the plan. I just don't appreciate Coulson knowing about my stealth sneaking. Kills the element of surprise."

"Oh, Tony. Every moment with you is an exercise in surprise." He laughed feel a little less hopeless.

Natasha climbed to her feet and held a hand out to him. He accepted without hesitation allowing him to pull him up. She stared at him for a moment before giving him an uncharacteristic hug. But as he felt his own arms wrap around her, he realized she needed it as much as he did.

"We're getting him back, Nat," he whispered. She nodded against his shoulder before pulling back.

"I know. And then I might take you up on your insinuation that I stamped my name across his ass." Tony's jaw dropped. "I'm a spy, Stark. You have nothing on my stealth and sneaking skills. There isn't anything said in this place that I don't know about. _Anything_."

"Even the conversation about…."

Natasha's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I know about even that. Remind me to murder Clint when we get him back."

Tony nodded. "Will do. But first I have a question."

"Ok."

"When I kill Hammer, will you show me the best place to hide the body?"

Natasha shook her head, though there was a smile growing there. "Of course, but only if you promise to be my alibi in case someone tracks Duquesne's pending accident back to me."

"They never will," Tony promised. He couldn't help but grin. The team that plots murder together stays together. His grin grew wider as he heard footsteps approaching the lab. The door slid open and the mournful cry Bruce let out as he, Thor and Steve took in the full scope of the devastation that lay before them.

"What the….? Tony! My lab!"

For a brief moment, Tony let the tension of the day bleed away as he enjoyed Bruce's horrified (and not a little teary eyed) reaction to his destroyed lab. He checked to make sure that JARVIS was capturing every moment of his breakdown because he knew Clint would kill to see this. And Clint would have a chance to see it. They were going to get him back. Then he was going to find the mole in SHIELD that sold his friend out in the first place and bury him. Hammer and Duquesne would get what was coming to them as well. No one messed with his family.

"Seriously, I had experiments!"

Well, no one except for him.


	3. Lost in the Echo

**Summary:** During a routine recon mission for SHIELD, Clint disappears without a trace. In trying to find him, the team stumbles across an unwelcome (and psychotic) blast from Clint's past out for revenge. And it seems he's not working alone... In other words, Clint's in danger. Must be Tuesday.

**Pairings:** Clintasha and background Peppernony

**Warnings:** Just general spoilers for the movie… but everyone should've seen it already by now so no worries!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned anything having to with the _Avengers_ I would be a rich, happy woman. Instead I am a broke, happy woman. One out of two isn't that bad.

**Author's Note:** Thanks again for all the lovely reviews. This chapter switches back to Clint for a bit because the poor man deserves a chance to vent his frustration. There are like two more chapters left after this I think. I'm finishing up the next chapter. So hopefully no later than Wednesday or Thursday. Alright. Well, hope you enjoy!

**P.S.**: Apologizing now if any of the characters come across more OOC than usual. Just chalk it up to stress and annoyingly stupid bad guys.

* * *

**Lost in the Echo**

The plan was so disgustingly simple that Natasha wanted to be offended. But she wasn't. Despite her rather elaborate bag of tricks, she preferred simplicity. Clint was the one that preferred the theatrics. One could blame his circus upbringing but Natasha knew better. She knew it was his love for all those stupid heist movies like _Ocean's Eleven_ and _The Great Escape_. The fact that Clint alone could pull of what it took eleven men to do never seemed to occur to him. Whenever Natasha brought it to his attention, he'd only smile and tell her that it was all part of the show. He told her to suspend reality and believe in the improbable and fantastical.

She was never very good at believing in something she couldn't see… until she met him. He made her suspend reality. Her reality taught her that there were no such things as happy endings. There was no such thing as love and trust and friendship. Suddenly Clint was there and she learned to trust and have friends. She learned that maybe love wasn't always for children and sometimes you do get your happy endings. She believed now. Just as much as she believed that they were going to get him back. They had to get him back. She refused to believe that the last time she ever saw him was the morning she left for her mission and he was sprawled across his bed, drooling happily onto that stupid Playful Penguin pillow pet. She refused to believe that the last conversation they would ever have would be over something as ridiculous as wondering if the Hulk loved waffles as much as Bruce did. That wasn't right. She believed that they would find him. No, she _knew_ they would find him. When they did, she was wrapping him in the bubble wrap she found in the hall closet of the Tower and storing him in the Hulk proof room.

"_Tasha_?"

She blinked, snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of one of the seemingly endless variations of her name that usually came from Clint. This time it was Tony over the comm. She could tell that this was not the first time he called her either. Normally, she wouldn't mind the nickname coming from one of the other Avengers but today it just drove home the fact that Clint wasn't there. Damn, she was really growing to dislike that man. All it took to make her lose focus was to hear that he was missing. Yeah, she was definitely wrapping him in bubble wrap and locking him away from the world determined to take him from.

"_You ok, Natasha?" _

"I'm fine, Tony. Are Thor and Bruce doing their thing yet?"

She heard Tony and Steve both laugh. The reason behind their humor was evident a second later. From where she was crouched across from the building where Hammer was being held, she could make out the constant streaks of lightening and furniture flying out the windows. The Hulk's distinct roar could be heard at the center of the chaos. Yeah, they were there. And having a lot of fun burning off their anger. She smirked. Now it was time for her to have some fun of her own.

She ran the short distance between her hiding spot and the building, scaling the wall with practiced ease. She found an opening on the fourth floor. Perfect. That's where their target was being held. In order to focus on the task at hand, she needed to make this less personal. That's the reason why Tony and Steve were on surveillance. This was too personal for Tony right now. They couldn't trust him not to blow Justin's head off. Steve was there to make sure that Tony didn't go off on his own, leaving Natasha to extract Hammer on her own.

This wasn't any less personal for her, of course. But she was used to pushing her feelings to the side. She needed to think of anything other than how she was basically turning against the agency she called home for eight years to aid a criminal she wished she had the insight to take him out when she first encountered him. Instead she allowed him to fester and it was now biting her in the ass. She wouldn't let it be a problem much longer. As soon as she had Clint back safe and sound by her side where he belonged, she was going to take Hammer out.

"I'm in."

"_Ok, so there are four guards south of you and three more where He Who Cannot Be Named without Making Tony Pull a Hulk is located." _

Natasha paused. "Who let Steve watch _Harry Potter_?"

"_Hey, it was a necessity. Clint and Bruce made him and Thor read the books_," Tony answered a grin evident in his voice. _"Those savages never told them that there were movies."_

She gasped in mock surprise even as she made her way down the long hallway. "Those jerks! How dare they encourage people to read?"

"_Whatever, Spider Babe, we borrowed the movies from your room." _

She allowed herself a brief moment to laugh before slipping back into the mission. The four guards were clearly nervous judging by the frequent glances around the room. She could still hear Thor and the Hulk downstairs. Thunder rumbled ominously in the background. The four men looked up at her sudden appearance with confusion in their eyes. They weren't sure if she was with them or against them. As if on cue, the Hulk bellowed below them. Natasha smirked. Two of the men gulped, clearly wondering just how unmanly it would make them to try and abandon ship. The other pair raised their guns though she noticed the tremble in their hands. Her smirk grew. This would be fun.

Five minutes, and four unconscious men, later Natasha was standing over her former prey with a frown. That was highly disappointing. She got a better workout sparring with Bruce and Tony. And usually they tapped out within five minutes because of Tony's various non-existent medical conditions and Bruce's very real rage problems. She stalked away from the agents to make her way to the final three. She took them out with even less effort. That was unexpected. SHIELD agents were normally better trained that this. She admittedly had very high standards but this was just… pathetic. It was almost as if they purposely placed the worst agents in the program in charge. It's a wonder Hammer didn't break out by now.

"_Son of a…."_ Tony cursed, intruding into her thoughts. "_It was all a part of his plot. These stooges were here to let him out._"

Natasha gritted her teeth. This was deeper than she thought. They knew there someone within SHIELD helping Hammer but this… to set it up so that the man escaped. She was going to find the mole and snap his, or her, neck. But first and foremost, she needed to make a deal with the devil to save Clint. She entered the codes to his cell with heavy fingers.

"For Clint," she muttered to herself. "For Clint."

The door slid open and she wasn't surprised to see Justin waiting on his bed with a smug smirk in place. He took her in with a long, appraising gaze that had her reaching for her gun involuntarily. He saw the movement and smiled.

"So it was Duquesne after all. I thought he had moxie. Let me guess he took Bird Brain? That must sting. Can you guys ever keep him around?"

Natasha's lip pursed minutely. "Steve?"

"_Yeah?" _

"That email didn't say anything about the condition he needed to be in when we make the exchange… did it?"

"_Short of being alive, no." _

"Excellent."

Hammer had a brief moment to realize he crossed several lines when he found himself formally acquainted with the Widow's Bite. She shook her wrist as he dropped to the floor. The smug smile faded from his face.

"_Now why is it ok that Natasha gets to hit him, but I can't?"_ Tony whined.

"_Imagine if someone took Pepper_," Bruce's voice appeared on the comm. line. Natasha narrowed her eyes_. "Now imagine that you add eight years of ambiguity and emotionally challenged spy games. Then you have your answer as to why Natasha gets to hit Hammer and not you. But don't worry. I'm sure there will more opportunities to hit him before this story is over." _

"_Thank you, Bruce."_

"Yes, thank you, Bruce," Natasha hissed. "You do remember that Tony is the one who wrecked your lab not three hours ago, right?"

"_I pushed him off a building."_

"Figures, the Science Boyfriends side together again," Natasha muttered, confident that the smile on her lips didn't appear in her voice,

"_Alright, playtime is over, guys_," Steve said, ever the voice of reason. She knew that he allowed the moment to stretch on because they needed it. They needed to break the tension that was gripping them all. "_We need to get the scumbag out of here before any real SHIELD agents show up and then wait for Duquesne to contact us_."

Natasha nodded, aware that they couldn't see her. She reached for Hammer's collar and started dragging him out the room. She could've easily requested help from one of the others but she felt a little less stressed with every unconscious grunt of pain he made as she pulled him down the halls. If their positions were reversed, she knew Clint would do the same. Well, not exactly. He would probably do something childish like drag him by his leg down the stairs. Natasha paused long enough to change positions and continued her goal to rendezvous with the others.

She was about to reach the stairs when she met an amused Steve and Tony. The latter merely raised an eyebrow before slinging the still down for the count Hammer over his shoulder with all the gentleness afforded to a sack of potatoes and leaping down from the landing. He landed with an audible thump on the bottom floor. It was enough to jolt his unfortunate passenger awake with a groan. Steve whirled around with the pretense of seemingly checking on him but ultimately ended up slamming his head into the stairwell. Justin's brief return to consciousness ended as quickly as it started. Tony and Natasha shook their heads in unison.

"I think we're really bad influences on the Captain," Natasha commented.

"This coming from the woman that dragged a man down the hall by his ankle."

She shrugged. "I just asked myself WWCBD?"

Tony snorted, moving to follow after Steve. "Pretty sure that Fury made it a rule that we're always supposed to do the opposite of that question. The better question is What Wouldn't Clint Barton do?"

"Give up," Natasha replied. "Clint isn't going to give up."

"Neither are we."

* * *

Being kidnapped sucks. For starters, it really calls into question your skill as a spy when someone gets the drop on you. Then there is the service. Yes, he was being used as bait in some ridiculously convoluted and doomed to fail plot against Tony but would it kill them to at least give him a sandwich. The last time he really ate anything was long before Fury called to assign him the stupid mission that led him to being kidnapped. With Natasha gone and Bruce and Tony pulling him into their scientific shenanigans, there wasn't a lot of thought given to food. He regretted that now. Because now he was starving and thus far the only sandwich he was receiving was of the knuckle variety. Duquesne was still an asshole. He was an asshole working for an even bigger asshole that was more than willing to exploit one of Tony's weak spots (i.e. him). That was the most unpleasant part of this whole deal. He knew the rest of the team was frantic. Probably considering going along with this stupid plot. Clint only hoped they realized that he just wasn't worth it.

"Why so pensive, my boy?"

Clint narrowed his non swollen eye in what he hoped was a withering glare. Judging by the barely phased look on his face, it was less than effective. He seriously hated this man. But he learned to keep those thoughts to himself. It seemed that Duquesne was better at instilling loyalty in his minions than he was when Clint was working with him. Maybe it was because he wasn't in the habit of beating them nearly to death. At any rate, his latest minions (Thing 1 and 2) weren't fans of Clint's very pithy comments about their employer. As if he was going to let a few punches to the face (and arms, legs, chest, etc) stop him from being a smart ass. He was a SHIELD agent and an Avenger, nothing short of death was going to stop that. And he wasn't quite ready to give into those thoughts quite yet.

By his estimation, an entire day has passed since he was taken from the roof. Five hours and fifty five minutes since Duquesne sent the email detailing his demands for the team to release Hammer in exchange for Clint. They had five more minutes before Duquesne called to find out if they complied. If they did, he would set up a meet for the exchange. If they didn't, insert standard villain cliché here.

"One thing hasn't changed," Clint muttered aloud through bruised and swollen lips. "You're still a goddamn drama queen, not to mention painfully lame." The frown on his former mentor's face was almost worth the punch he received from the heavy handed Thing 2. He swallowed the cry, determined to never let them hear him make a sound. His head swam and his vision greyed out for several long moments.

The shrill ring of Duquesne's timer dragged him back to consciousness. The deadline was up. In a few short moments, Clint's fate would be sealed. He wasn't stupid. He knew there was no way he was walking away from this one. Duquesne may want the tech that Hammer offered but he had a major hate on for Clint. He wasn't going to let him go just like that. Clint only hoped the team was smart enough to realize that too. He hoped they wouldn't let a psychotic, self serving, pompous weapons peddler loose to save someone who was as good as dead already.

"Now, Clinton, it's time to see how much you mean to your friends."

Clint glared as Duquesne dialed the prepaid phone he had delivered to the Tower shortly after the deadline was set. According to Duquesne, it would make it harder to track them down. Clint secretly thought that they really underestimated Tony Stark. The ring from the other end of the line was deafening in the sudden silence of the room. Of course, Duquesne made sure to put it on speaker phone even as Thing 1 wrapped a beefy hand around Clint's mouth. Thing 2 was holding his gun to the agent's head. He rolled his eyes. It was like he was in a really bad heist movie.

"_Hello_?" Tony's voice echoed through the warehouse. It was like an arrow straight to Clint's heart. He missed Tony. He missed all of them. His eyes stung with the too familiar feeling of tears and he mentally warned himself to man up. There was no time for crying. He would cry when he was dead. And there he goes again with the dead thing.

"Ah, the great Tony Stark. At least we…"

"_Where's Clint_?"

Clint snorted, though the sound was muffled by the hand still pressed against his lips. Duquesne was thrown off guard by Tony's interruption though he recovered quicker than most people when faced with Tony Stark.

"You'll find that Clint is safe… for now. I trust you've…."

"_Yeah, yeah, we freed Hammer," _Tony cut him off again_. "We did what you want. Now let me talk to Clint. Off speaker phone_."

"Mr. Stark, I don't think you're in any position to make demands."

"_Good thing Justin isn't paying you to think then, isn't it? Let's face facts here. You probably have no intention of handing Clint over when we do schedule this meet even though we broke your prison pen pal out. So really what's to stop us from causing some damage to that precious brain of his that you want so much?"_

"You're the good guy, Mr. Stark," Duquesne scoffed. "You don't have it in you."

Tony laughed. It was a dark, ugly sound that sent a chill down Clint's back. Tony wasn't supposed to sound that way. "_If Hammer has told you anything about me, it's clearly not much. Even he should know by now that I don't take it well when people take things that belong to me. Not my suits, my tech and especially not my friends. You have no idea what I have in me, Duquesne. Let me talk to Clint and I promise I won't cause any lasting damage to your friend over here."_

Duquesne's eyes flickered between the phone and Clint for a moment before he motioned for the Things to back away. He picked up the phone handle and held it up beside Clint's face. The archer ignored the tug on his too sore face as he smirked in satisfaction. He cradled the phone between his shoulder and his head.

"Hey, Tone."

"_Clint_," the name fell from Tony's mouth like a prayer and it made that stinging form in his eyes again. "_It is so good to hear your voice, kid."_

"It's only because I've been kidnapped that I'm going to let you get away with that," Clint retorted, fully aware that he sounded as choked up as Tony. "Told you to stop calling me kid."

"_Can't help that you're the baby of the family_."

"I'm thirty years old. I'm definitely not a baby."

"_You're younger than the rest of us. Besides it's either that or Daphne. Take your pick_."

Clint raised an eyebrow, aware that Tony couldn't see him but probably knew all the same. "Do I even want to know?"

"_It was a thing,"_ Tony said by way of explanation. Sadly, Clint was so familiar with the various aspects of Tony that he actually did understand. Didn't change the fact that he, and most likely Bruce, was a jerk. "_Didn't anyone ever tell you not to pout around super-villains_?"

He wasn't even going to question how Tony knew he was pouting. He just chalked it up to being an older "brother" thing and moved on. While he was admittedly feeling a lot better just hearing Tony's voice, he knew that he needed to wrap this up. Duquesne was getting impatient and that rarely ended well for Clint type people.

"Tony, I need you to know that…."

"_No_," Tony cut him off. "_All of that was a show for Pepe Le Pew. We're not giving up on you and you better not give up on us_."

"But…"

"_But nothing. If it were me, would you give up_?"

"That's not fair."

"_Would you_?"

"No," Clint whispered in defeat. It wasn't fair because he wouldn't give up if it were Tony or any of the others. There really wasn't a lot he wouldn't do to make sure that they were all safe. Freeing an arms dealer was tame compared to what he would do to ensure the safety of his team. So really he supposed that he couldn't complain.

_"We're coming for you, ok? Just know that. Bruce still needs your help proving that Phil's suits are a part of him. You know you're the only one he lets close enough to him to check."_

He felt a lump in his throat that had little to do with the lack of food or water and everything to do with the sappy part of him that wanted to believe Tony. He needed to believe that they were coming for him. That he actually stood a chance of getting out of this alive.

Duquesne jerked the phone away from his ear and tersely laid out the conditions for the exchange. Clint listened halfheartedly. Tony was right. He couldn't give up. He knew they were fighting for him. They fought against SHIELD, the agency that brought them together in the first place just to save him. So he couldn't give up. It wasn't his style to give up and accept that he was a goner. But he needed Duquesne to think that it was.

"You have changed, Clinton. All it takes to break you down is one little phone call," Duquesne murmured, after hanging up on Tony. "You are attached to them. It seems that they are as attached to you in return. I wonder how your death will affect them."

Clint bit his bottom lip to keep from replying to that aloud. He needed Duquesne to think he was broken. He needed him to think he was no longer a threat. After a few more minutes, which felt like hours, of speechifying, Duquesne finally made his mistake. He ordered the Things to leave the room and get ready for the meet with the Avengers. Clint almost laughed when he warned the pair that they were meeting up with "volatile" individuals. He had no idea. Duquesne would be lucky if the Hulk was there for the meet. Clint learned a long time ago that Bruce Banner was the dangerous one. Bruce was the one you never saw coming until it was too late. And that didn't even take into consideration the rest of the team. The combined forces of Natasha, Steve and Thor had nothing on what Tony Stark was capable of when he put his mind to it. And from the sounds of the phone call, Tony's mind was definitely in this.

"Ok, Barton," he muttered to himself. "You're an Avenger too. You're not Daphne. You're not going to sit on your sorry ass and wait for the rest of the Scooby gang to save you." As he talked, his eyes were scanning the room looking for anything that could be of assistance. Then he zeroed in on the phone that lay abandoned on the table across the room. "Are you kidding me? He left the phone?"

Heist movie 101 taught that you never left the hostage behind with a phone. True he was tied up but really? He was starting to think that Duquesne got even dumber with age. He appeared to have forgotten that Clint was in the circus. Those handcuffs weren't holding him. Of course, the excessive amount of bruises on his body, along with the still sluggishly bleeding gash on his bicep and the obvious concussion, were definitely a hindrance. But he powered through worse before this. He would be fine.

Five minutes later, he was having second thoughts. As he thought the handcuffs weren't a problem. The real difficulty was getting his body to cooperate. Whatever drug Duquesne coated his sword with continued to wreak havoc with his system. He really hated sedatives, painkillers and just drugs in general. They always screwed with him. This is how he found himself dragging his non responsive legs across the floor towards the phone. He only hoped that Duquesne and the Things took their sweet time getting ready. He didn't need them coming back and finding him sprawled across the floor before he could complete his task. And he was so close he could almost…. He winced as his already aching head collided with something solid and table shaped.

"Finally," he groaned, pushing himself up enough to reach the phone.

He hit the callback feature on the phone and cursed quietly when he received a message that the phone was out of service. Duquesne really did cover his bases. The phone was dead. They probably could track the signal from one phone to the other but not in enough time to get Clint back. Smart. But not exactly helpful to Clint at the moment. What was also not helpful was that he wouldn't have been much use if he did reach one of the others anyway. It's not like he knew where he was anyway. He was unconscious for most of the trip to Duquesne's super secret hideout. He was actually regretting not letting Tony outfit him with a tracker after all. Then he remembered. He didn't have a tracker but his bow did. A quick glance around the room confirmed that his broken bow were still there.

He managed to pull his scattered thoughts together long enough to remember the number he needed. He punched the dial pad with trembling but heavy fingers. He waited with baited breath for someone to finally answer on the other end. Just as he was about to give up hope, there was a click and then a voice.

"_You've reached me. If this isn't the Army or someone trying to use me or my alter ego for their own good, I'll return your call as soon as possible. If you are any of the above, remember I hang out with assassins, a super solider, a god and Iron Man." _

Clint let out a muffled laugh that too strongly resembled a sob. "Bruce… we have to work on your voicemail message, bud. It reeks of paranoia. But I guess it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you…. huh… anyway, I hope you get this in time. I need you to go to my computer. Use remote access code: 1928…. Find me. Please."

He ended the call, just managing to delete the number from the call history when the door swung open. He was too exhausted to do more than meet Duquesne's furious gaze. "What did you do? How did you get out of those bonds?"

"Oh, come on Jack, you should know by now there isn't a whole lot in this world that can hold me," Clint grinned, prepping himself for the backhanded slap. His vision grayed once again but this time it didn't clear. He felt like he was floating. It was kind of nice actually.

"You know, I was almost considering letting you go. I really thought you'd be more compliant than this."

"Basing this off our wonderful history together?" Clint managed to gasp out as the Swordsman lifted him off the ground. "Where… what are you…."

"You remember what happened when you used to misbehave as my apprentice."

"You gonna hit me some more?" Clint asked, archly. "That worked so well the last time."

Duquesne smiled and it left a cold feeling in his stomach. He saw that smile once before. It was shortly before Clint found out that the man was stealing from the circus. It was when he was more inventive in his punishments. For a brief moment, Clint let his eyes drift away from the man's still smiling face to what he was now standing in front of. Clint couldn't stop the whimper from escaping. Because no. Not this.

"I see you remember," Duquesne laughed. "I promised your team of freaks that I would trade you for Hammer. I never said what condition you would be in or where they could find you. I honestly do hope they find you, my dear boy. This reunion has been so much fun. I just regret that we didn't have enough time to catch up. And I do so hope that Barney will be able to join us next time."

"Barne…. Barney?" Clint's voice cracked at the mention of his long lost brother. He wondered where the older Barton was all these years. He tried to find him a few times during the years but he never put too much effort into the search. And now he knew. Barney was with Jacques. Why was that not surprising?

"Don't worry, Clinton. I'm sure your freak friends will find you before it's too late. Barney has been dying to see you again. He's learned a few things that he's been wanting to show you." Duquesne ran a hand over his cheek, prompting him to pull away in disgust. "It's such a shame. You had so much potential. You were and still are so much better than your brother. But he doesn't seem to have that morality problem you suffer from. But enough with that. I will see you again, Clinton. Count on it."

Clint struggled as the Things lifted him up and slammed him into the dark, small space. His head connected with the back of floor of his new prison cell. The last thing he registered before his brain fuzzed out was Duquesne's voice floating over him, promising revenge.

Being kidnapped really really sucked.

* * *

*Does this count as a cliffhanger? I sure hope it doesn't. Ciao for now!


	4. Skin to Bone

**Summary:** During a routine recon mission for SHIELD, Clint disappears without a trace. In trying to find him, the team stumbles across an unwelcome (and psychotic) blast from Clint's past out for revenge. And it seems he's not working alone... In other words, Clint's in danger. Must be Tuesday.

**Pairings:** Clintasha and background Peppernony

**Warnings:** Just general spoilers for the movie… but everyone should've seen it already by now so no worries!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned anything having to with the _Avengers_ I would be a rich, happy woman. Instead I am a broke, happy woman. One out of two isn't that bad. I also don't own _Once Upon a Time_ or _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_. I certainly don't own any bronies. Although now I kinda want one.

**Author's Note:** Just wanted to say thanks again for all the love shown to this story. It means a lot. Also wanted to apologize for the cliff-hanger of sorts. Won't happen again… in this story at least! Anyway, that's about it. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Skin to Bone**

Tony was pacing. On any other day, it would've been amusing for Steve to watch as the man paced back and forth in the heavy metal suit. Honestly, it would be a comical sight with the whirring of the gears with every pass he made and the clanking that echoed every footstep if it were any other day. But it wasn't any other day, it was today. Over a day and a half passed since Clint went missing. They were all feeling anxious but Tony more than the others (save Natasha, but she was used to hiding her true feelings). He was both blaming himself for Hammer being involved and concerned with whatever he heard in Clint's voice when they talked. He knew it was a mistake to let Tony take the lead but Bruce was right when he pointed out that Duquesne and Hammer were both drama queens. They needed to feed into that drama so they would make a mistake. With less than an hour to go before the exchange, Steve was still waiting for that mistake.

"What's wrong, Stark?" Hammer asked, also watching Tony's anxious pacing. There was a smirk on his face that Steve longed to wipe off. But he was the team leader. He needed to set an example. Tony paused briefly to turn a glare in Justin's direction. Having been on the receiving end of Tony's glare through his suit, Steve knew it was intimidating. It was made even more intimidating by the fact that Steve was starting to realize that Tony was dangerous even without the suit. He also knew that right now Tony needed a distraction of the non Hammer related variety or else he was going to explode.

"What's this?" Bruce muttered from where he was sitting beside Natasha and Thor. Steve and Tony turned in unison to regard the scientist. He was holding his cell phone in hand with a confused expression. "It says I have a missed call and a voicemail? But when did it even ring?"

"Maybe it was while Stark was throwing his hissy fit after talking to Bird Boy," Hammer pointed out, not at all helpfully.

"It's because all our phones use the Stark satellite," Natasha murmured, waving a hand towards the sky. "Tony repositioned it so that he could use his facial recognition program on a wider scale to keep searching for a sign of Duquesne while also searching for our SHIELD mole. So it's screwing with our reception."

Hammer looked concerned as well as slightly in awe. "You can do that?"

Tony turned that glare on Justin once again. "I told you once before that you were out of your league. I was building your most advanced stuff when I was eight."

"Still an arrogant asshole."

"No, just incredibly aware of what I can do," Tony replied, false calm oozing out of his voice. "You'll never be as good as me."

"Maybe. But which of us is the one with the very human shaped weakness that is easily exploited? I'd say that puts me ahead of the game. I'm sure that Duquesne would agree."

Steve winced as Toy let out a growl that would make even the Hulk proud. He was weighing the pros and cons of separating the furious Tony and the verbally stupid Hammer when suddenly Bruce was in the middle of the genius showdown.

"Tony, I need your help."

"What? Now?"

"Yes, right now. It's one of my experiments. The ones with the suits."

Tony's faceplate slid back allowing Bruce to receive the full effect of his incredulous look. Bruce simply stared back. Tony arched an eyebrow. Bruce tilted his head to the side. Tony nodded, clearing his throat.

"Ok, so your experiment. Let's go check on that."

Before Steve could even comment on the odd silent conversation, Tony and Bruce were flying away. He knew them well enough (or as well as one could know Tony Stark) to know that he just missed something huge but what, he had no idea. What could be more important than getting Clint back? Certainly not an experiment. But apparently it was because they were gone. He glanced up at the sky, not surprised that he didn't even see a smoke trail.

"What just happened?" Natasha murmured, voicing the confusion apparent on her and Hammer's faces. Thor, on the other hand, smiled. Now Steve was certain he was missing something. The god tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear. His finger lingered briefly on the earwig still in place. Steve almost forgot he was wearing the tiny communication system. It wasn't necessary before as they were all in one place. But now they weren't. He turned it on and heard a very familiar bantering conversation.

"_How long do you think we have until they figure it out?" _

"_With Nat, I think she's probably already clued in by now. Now the problem is Steve. I think we'll be there and back before he figures it out_."

"_I think Thor knows."_

"_Sad when the Earth ignorant alien god figures it out before the super soldier and the ninja spy." _

Steve cleared his throat quietly but didn't speak. He got the feeling that for whatever reason, Bruce and Tony didn't want Justin clued in whatever they were doing.

"_Oh, hey there, Cap. Guess you're wondering what we're up too_." Steve grunted. "_We found him, Steve. The call was from Clint. He put a tracker on his bow. Remind me to never joke about him being a paranoid little freak again. It actually came in handy this time around. Anyway, you know how he is with that bow. We never found the bow on the scene. So it's with him. And it's not moving."_

Steve's gaze darted to Hammer. "_They're playing games_," Bruce continued for Tony. _"They probably know we're not letting them out of here. The only way to make sure we don't catch them right away is to hold Clint's location_."

Steve ran a hand through his hair. Never in his life did he want an alien invasion before. This was officially beyond ridiculous. Not to mention really, incredibly frustrating. Clint suffered enough at the hands of this man fifteen years ago. Why did he need to suffer any longer? Why was this even happening? And why was it all so stupidly convoluted?

"What did Banner leave something burning?" Hammer spoke up. He smirked at the three startled looks he received. Steve cursed silently. They all almost forgot he was there. Good thing the others all insisted on tying him up. "You know without Stark around, it's strangely quiet."

"Would be even quieter if we cut out your tongue," Natasha hissed. "You don't need a tongue to make weapons. Might even improve the quality of the service."

"You're a lot testier without Bird Boy around."

"_We're here_," Tony reported, cutting off any response Natasha might have made. "_Are you kidding me? Damn it, he was right down the street from where he was taken. The whole goddamn time, he was right here!_"

Steve felt the same anger but to keep his expression neutral as a nondescript van pulled up. The whole situation was beginning to resemble one of those really stupid crime movies that Clint always watched. Steve promised himself that as soon as they got him back, Clint was banned from watching those movies. They all were.

"The Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes, we meet at last!" Duquesne boomed as he stepped out of the van. There was a long sword strapped to his waist and he was smiling as if they were all old friends meeting up for a friendly drink. Steve really couldn't wait to punch him in the face. He also wouldn't mind hitting the two smirking walls of human flesh that he called bodyguards. There was something about them that told Steve that he didn't like them.

"Where's Clint?" Steve settled for asking. He hoped that Tony would understand that question was meant for him as well.

"Clinton is safe… for now. I simply needed some extra insurance that my employer and I would be allowed to leave in peace as was our deal."

"_Still looking_," Tony answered. "_JARVIS do a life scan for Clint. Steve, you gotta buy us some time here._"

Steve took a steadying breath. "What's to stop us from arresting you on the spot and turning you both over to SHIELD?"

"I think you and I both know that breaking a prisoner out of a maximum security facility, even one run by SHIELD, is not exactly considered to be in the interest of the agency. You'll more than likely be arrested right along with us. Not to mention, I'm the only one who knows where your precious archer is. The longer you keep us here, the worse it will be for him. Personally, I hate the little bastard. So I really don't care either way. It's your choice, Captain."

"_These readings don't make any sense. According to JARVIS, Clint is here but here's something blocking him from giving me a clear indication of where_," Tony muttered. "_JARVIS, seriously, work with me here. He's here and that's awesome but where?_"

There was a pause and then the AI spoke. Steve knew that JARVIS was one of the most advanced (if not the most) AI systems ever created. He was capable of a range of emotional inflections in his tone. But they never heard the AI sound hesitant before. Steve vowed that after all this was over, he wanted Tony to program hesitance out of JARVIS.

"_Sir, it would appear that the signal interference is because of a large metal barrier surrounding him. Judging by the location of the signal traces_," JARVIS hesitated once again briefly. "_It would appear that Agent Barton has been buried. Alive_."

In that moment, Steve finally gained a true understanding of what Bruce struggled with every day. He felt the rage boiling in his blood. A voice screamed in his head, begging him to make the ones that hurt one of his own pay. He was past trying to rationalize why he shouldn't anymore. His normally upright and intact morals were pushed to the side as he finally gave into the destructive impulses he was fighting against all day. A clap of thunder followed by a jagged streak of lightening dangerously close to a clued in Hammer signaled the end of their exchange. Duquesne pulled out his sword, his gaze darting warily between the three assembled Avengers and his own men behind him. Steve smirked. This was going to be fun.

* * *

There were more than a few things about Clint Barton that most people didn't know. He fought through his trust issues and gave the Avengers what he could. But there were still things that he just couldn't say. Fortunately, he was surrounded by a group of people that were very good at reading between the lines. They all knew enough about Clint's coping mechanisms, nightmares and history of abuse to know that his punishments growing up weren't always physical. One thing that was very obvious upon meeting him was that the archer really didn't like being in small rooms. If a large conference room wasn't available for a debriefing meeting, Fury was known to have them on the roof. Clint's room at the New Mexico base was one of the biggest rooms and he shared with no one. It was widely accepted that he craved open space and didn't like to be crowded.

They all knew it was because he used to be locked into small spaces for long periods of time at the mercy of sick bastards like Duquesne. It was unspoken fact amongst the team. They all knew but never said a word about to Clint. They just subtly made sure to take care of him the best that they could and find as many high open spaces when he needed to let off steam. Bruce knew he wasn't the only to silently promise to never let Clint feel trapped again.

"Well, blew that one," he muttered to himself as he sat on the ground just outside the warehouse. It was difficult to figure out where Clint was buried after JARVIS' announcement. There was a patch of dirt that was clearly not like the others. Not to mention shovels still lying on the ground. They weren't trying to make this hard or anything like that.

Bruce was forced to wait on the sidelines as Tony, using every bit of his suit's power, dug in the general location of their missing archer. They both knew the Hulk could do this faster but there were so many variables in this situation that the speed wasn't worth it. So Tony dug and Bruce waited. As he watched, he was dimly aware of all hell breaking loose over the comm. His only focus, however, was on the hole which was steadily getting deeper with no sign of Clint or whatever they used to bury him in. He could feel the Hulk's confusion and anger. But for once they were on the same page. The Other Guy knew that Bruce was the best for Cupid right now. Later, they could both have their revenge.

"I think I got something!" Tony yelled over his shoulder. He had long removed the helmet, claiming that Justin's cries of pain were an unnecessary distraction. Bruce privately thought he was just upset that he couldn't be there to get in a few hits in. "I think this is it." Bruce moved to stand on the edge of the hole where a long, metal locker was visible in the freshly dug earth. His eyes closed involuntarily as Tony ripped the lid off, letting out a soft series of curses at what he found. "Clint!"

Bruce forced himself to open his eyes and look. He knew he wanted to see his friend again but not like this. His eyes were closed and the dark eyelashes stood out sharply against the too pale cheeks. He continued a cursory exam, hoping to see a sign of life. Though it was slightly hitched, Bruce could make out the telltale motion of Clint's chest rising and falling. So he was alive and breathing. That was… good.

"How are we supposed to get him out of there? He looks like one giant bruise."

Bruce wondered the same thing. There really didn't seem to a single part of Clint's skin that wasn't battered heavily. Moving him was going to cause pain. Not to mention he was very likely to wake up and start fighting them if they just hauled him out of there. So Bruce settled on solving at least one of their problems. He leaned down and poked Clint's arm. Clint was a notoriously light sleeper. Even beaten and broken, he was still easily roused.

The archer bolted upright, letting out a strangled cry of pain as his various injuries were aggravated with the movements. Wide fear blown eyes scanned his surroundings like a wild, trapped animal. From what he could tell, Bruce didn't think Clint even knew where he was or how he got there. But he could see the moment when it clicked for him as his friend's body language changed. A whimper of some unknown emotion slipped from his lips as he buried his face in his hands and dragged his legs up to his chest with visible effort. For a few moments, heavy silence hung over the three Avengers. The only sound was Clint's panting and muffled words that Bruce knew were meant to calm him. Tony was staring in horror at their wreck of a friend with distant eyes and Bruce knew that Clint wasn't going to be the only one with nightmares after all of this was over. But at the moment, Clint was his priority. He would deal with Tony later. Bruce lowered himself into the hole carefully so that he was kneeling at the far end of the small box. Clint was still burrowed into himself, hiding from sight. His head shot up at Bruce's arrival but he didn't move his hands away from his head.

"Hey," he whispered, holding up his hands. "Clint, it's me. It's Bruce." The younger man watched him warily but still didn't say a word. "Tony is here too. You're safe. Ok? We found you, like you asked us too."

"Bruce…." Clint mumbled, lowering his hands completely. He glanced at the dirt walls surrounding him still, letting out another shuddering breath. "Get me out of here?"

Tony leaned over the edge of the hole, holding out a hand for Clint. Bruce helped the shaking archer stand, largely supporting his trembling weight until Tony had a good enough grip to easily pull him out of the tight metal box. Once he was above ground, Tony let him sag to the ground before collapsing beside him. Bruce went to Clint's free side and did the same. The three men sat staring at the sky above them.

"Are you….?" Tony trailed off, seemingly realizing it was a stupid question.

"No. But I will be," Clint replied. He shuddered. Bruce shifted closer to him, so that their shoulders were pressed against one another. He nodded in silent acknowledgement. He opened his eyes, his head turned slightly towards Tony. "You found me."

"Did you ever doubt I would?"

"Truthfully… the metal box gave me pause."

"Well, you never have to worry. I, or rather JARVIS, will always find you."

Clint snorted. "Do you promise?"

Tony grinned. "I do."

Bruce's brow furrowed. The whole dialogue sounded oddly familiar. And then it hit him. He sat up so he could get a better look at the two men still sprawled on the ground. "Are you actually quoting _Once Upon A Time_?"

"This coming from the man who's other half is a brony," Clint laughed quietly. His eyes fluttering shut again. "You don't get to mock entertainment choices. Especially not since the theme song to _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_ makes you Hulk out in happiness! "

Bruce fought the blush that threatened to take over his face. "That's your fault anyway. You were the one that insisted on showing it to him."

"Figured… he'd like… it," Clint replied, voice trailing off towards the end. Now that Clint was out of the box, Bruce had a better view of the extent of Clint's treatment at the hands of Duquesne. Though his limbs were shaking and trembling, he didn't seem to be in full control. He knew that the deep gash on his arm was infected which would account for the fever induced shivering the lack of control over his limbs was concerning. When he wasn't in sniper mode, Clint was always moving around. This wasn't natural. Oh, of course….

"Clint, did he give you something? Like a sedative or a muscle relaxant?"

He nodded, his eyes still closed. "When he cut me, there was something on it… said it was to make me… behave."

Tony growled but otherwise remained quiet. Bruce had a few choice words that he also held back. He gave Tony a look that he hoped was correctly interpreted. It was. Tony helped Clint upright, letting him lean his back against Tony's chest.

"So Katniss, what was your favorite episode of _Once_?"

"Only saw the first few episodes," he replied, wincing as Bruce started a more thorough exam. He knew that Tony already alerted SHIELD where they were. It was only a matter of time before they showed up. This was just so he knew what they were dealing with when the kid inevitably broke out of medical. So far, he wasn't happy with what he saw. Between the bleeding, raw marks on his wrists from the restraints to the slow reaction of his pupils, Clint was a mess. Not to mention he was probably starving by now. Even Bruce was feeling the faint stirrings of hunger and Phil forced them all to eat before they left to free Hammer. And yet here he was quoting television shows and mocking the Hulk's single minded quest to be a brony.

"Why'd you miss the rest?"

"Base in New Mexico only picked up three channels," Clint said. "None of them played it. Wi-Fi was horrible. And then… Loki. So I missed the rest."

"Don't worry," Tony grinned. "I call that as our next marathon night."

"But you finished it," Clint protested, halfheartedly. Bruce smiled even as he ripped the bottom of his shirt to bandage the sluggishly bleeding cut on Clint's head.

"And that's never stopped us from watching _Dr. Who_ like a million times. Besides I think Thor would like it. Maybe it'll be enough to lure him away from reality TV. I swear I caught him watching Snooki's show the other day. I'm a little afraid."

Clint chuckled but didn't say anything else. Bruce tapped him lightly on the cheek. One eye cracked open, allowing a hint of grayish blue to be seen. "I know. No sleeping."

"Good boy," Bruce patted him on the head. "Speaking of _Once, _anyone else notice that Charming looks a lot like Thor's friend, Fandral."

"You mean how he used to look. Looks different lately. Like he's a totally different person or something," Tony mused. "Must be a god thing. Like you know how one minute Thor's sleeves are there and then they're not."

Still Clint didn't reply. The brief adrenaline rush he felt after being freed from the box was gone and the archer was fading fast. Bruce was tempted to tell Tony to just fly him to the nearest hospital when the sounds of multiple helicopters approaching reached his ears. He glanced back to see Clint was unconscious but still breathing. He'd accept it for now.

The helicopters landed a short distance away from the three heroes. Bruce was both not surprised and yet dismayed to see Maria Hill leading the way. Several agents, including two of the ones that lost Clint in the first place, followed in her wake.

"You did it. You actually did it. You got Barton," Maria said, by way of greeting.

Tony gave her a look. "Of course we did. Avengers look after their own."

Maria returned the look with one of her own. "I know given the circumstances you may not believe me, but SHIELD does too. I know I was definitely left out of the communication loop but I know that you did what you did to rescue Barton."

Bruce held onto Tony's arm when he noticed the billionaire about to fight the hands lifting Clint away from him. He shook his head minutely. Tony sighed but didn't fight anymore. "So what happens now? Are we under arrest?"

"You probably should be," Maria replied, though her eyes were tracking the medical team working on Clint. "The Council is calling for an immediate debriefing. Between you and me, they're looking for blood. But Coulson and the Director are willing to fight for you guys." She glanced back at the two men. "They're not the only ones."

"Thanks, Agent Hill," Bruce nodded. "Can we…."

"I'll be riding back with Clint. You two are to ride with me. I need to make sure you don't escape custody."

"Oh, of course," Tony smiled, slightly. Maria's lips quirked into a smile of sorts before she turned to start barking orders at the lingering agents. As they followed after her, mindful of the agents that were watching their every move, Tony elbowed Bruce into the side.

"You're still in the suit, Tony," Bruce reminded him, rubbing his sore chest.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Anyway, when did Maria get cool?"

"I guess she has her moments," Bruce shrugged. "The real question is are we ready for this meeting? I don't have to tell you what will happen if it doesn't go our way. But I will. I'm gone. They're going to lock me in a Hulk proof chamber for the rest of my life."

"One, do you honestly think I would ever let that happen? And two, do you honestly think I'm not ready for this?"

"My bad. I forgot you're Tony Stark," Bruce retorted, only half kidding. He should've known that Tony figured out who the mole was by now. Tony wasn't lying. Hammer was definitely out of his league. Tony was a genius of a different caliber and Bruce was starting to realize that while he was a genius in his own right, he really didn't match up to Tony. He glanced at the man out the corner of his eye and smiled.

"What?" Tony asked him, warily.

"Nothing. Just happy it's over."

Tony nodded, watching as the medics loaded a still unconscious Clint into the helicopter under the constant supervision of Maria. "Yeah, the worst is over. Now comes the fun part."

"You and I have very serious differences in opinion about what is fun."

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I asked Natasha if she wanted to party with me one weekend and she gave me a dirty look. Thor flew away from me. I just don't get it."

Bruce shook his head as his best friend (and wow, when did that happen) continued to rant and pout about his friend's lack of trust in his ability to have a good time. As he settled down in the helicopter, close enough to the gurney Clint was strapped on that he could rest a hand on his leg, Bruce felt the Hulk calming down for the first time in days. The others were being escorted back to SHIELD headquarters also and judging from Thor's movie stolen one-liners, Hammer and Duquesne were in custody as well. It was over….

Well, almost. One last piece of this puzzle to sort out and then they were done. He didn't know what the rest of the planned, but Bruce was not leaving the Tower for at least a week. He was pretty sure it would be longer than for Clint.

"I know how to have a good time! You watch! I'm throwing a party and it's going to blow your judgmental little minds!"

Bruce chuckled and closed his eyes, settling for the rest of the flight back. Everything was as it should be. Tony ranting and Clint here. Everything was finally ok. Except for a niggling thought in the back of his mind.

"Hey, Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"Somebody told Darcy that Clint was missing, right?"

There was a long pause. "Uh, we kinda thought you were going to do that."

Bruce's eyes widened. "Oh, we are so dead."

* * *

*The Darcy part is not entirely random. She's heavily featured in an upcoming chapter of _Dynamics_ (the next chapter to be precise). But just a brief account of role in this story: she's Phil's assistant, i.e. the Avengers live in babysitter. She is super close to Clint. She makes frequent trips to visit Jane in New Mexico. And that's pretty much the gist of that. Until next time!


	5. Burn It Down

**Summary:** During a routine recon mission for SHIELD, Clint disappears without a trace. In trying to find him, the team stumbles across an unwelcome (and psychotic) blast from Clint's past out for revenge. And it seems he's not working alone... In other words, Clint's in danger. Must be Tuesday.

**Pairings:** Clintasha and background Peppernony

**Warnings:** Just general spoilers for the movie… but everyone should've seen it already by now so no worries!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned anything having to with the _Avengers_ I would be a rich, happy woman. Instead I am a broke, happy woman. One out of two isn't that bad.

**Author's Note:** Ugh, so sorry about the delay. I meant to have this up Friday night but me being me, I totally blanked. So sorry. I'm also sorry for any typos or spelling errors. I tried to check it as carefully as I could but I probably missed something. So apologizing for that now. I just really wanted to get this up for you guys before the weekend was over. So anyway, here is the last chapter… unless I write an epilogue. I have a few ideas but I'm not sure if I should go through with it. I'll be pretty much forcing myself into writing a sequel of sorts. We'll see. But for now I'm slapping the complete label on this. Hope you enjoy! See the end for another author's note.

* * *

**Burn It Down**

When Nick first had the idea to assemble a special operatives team consisting of individuals with superpowers (and other genetic enhancements), he never really thought they would be any different to him than the other agents that worked under him. But he was wrong. It was widely acknowledged and accepted that Agents Coulson, Hill, Romanoff and Barton held a special place with Fury. Everyone knew about it, even if they never really talked about it. When he assigned Natasha and Clint to the team with Phil as a handler, Fury never expected the dynamic to change. He never thought he would grow to care about the time displaced super solider, or the crazy alien war god, or the reclusive mad scientist with the rampaging alter ego. He really never thought he would give a damn about the cocky, yet brilliant Tony Stark. But he did.

Though he loathed admitting it, even to himself, Nick Fury cared about all of the Avengers. It was difficult to do anything but adore Thor. He was similar to an overgrown puppy that was slightly rabid. Nick sometimes found himself wanting to pet the god on the head for doing a good deed. He was definitely going soft around these guys. Bruce and Steve were both pleasant and endearing enough that they got under your skin before you even knew they were there. Hell, even Stark grew on him. He never thought that Tony would be a team player. He knew Howard Stark and as time passed, Nick started to see the man Howard Stark used to be in his son. But unlike Steve, Nick was smart enough to keep those comments to himself. Tony went against everything they all believed about him in the beginning. He did play very well with others. They just needed to find the right team. He glanced around the room he was currently sitting in. Mission accomplished on that front.

"I don't think you all understand the serious ramifications of your actions."

Nick's eyes flickered between the shadowed screens to the five silent members of the Avengers. Tony and Bruce were both working on their tablets, clearly not paying a bit of attention. Natasha, Steve and Thor were glaring at the screens but remaining tightlipped. Coulson and Maria were in the room. Both looking smug and amused respectively. The Council was less than pleased with the way this debriefing was proceeding and yet Fury couldn't find it in him to intercede. They were the ones that wanted to go up against the pissed off Avengers.

"This entire debacle has just illustrated the many ways in which the six of you are a danger to national security. It was so easy for you all to turn against SHIELD and free a dangerous weapons manufacturer. What's to stop you from doing so again in the future should a situation like this ever occur again? Director Fury, give us one good reason we shouldn't throw this lot into nearest secure facility and throw away the key."

Nick noticed the set of Bruce's shoulders, which showed he was paying a little bit of attention. But before he could answer the question, the true Tony Stark emerged. Nick always believed that there was more to Tony than the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist persona he did so enjoy flaunting in the face of the world. The man was gifted and could solve problems that puzzled even the most talented of physicists in his head. But he enjoyed the role of the sarcastic clown. Except for when his friends, no, his family, were threatened. Then it was time to get serious.

Tony placed the tablet down, folding his hands over it and smiling. "I have a better question for you, the esteemed members of the World Security Council. Exactly what have we done to be locked up for? True, we broke Justin Hammer out of your facility. But in our defense, he was more than likely going to escape anyway as the security in your maximum security facility was beyond pathetic. Then there is the simple fact that we brought him back. Wait a minute, correction, we not only brought him back, we also brought in the Swordsman. He's wanted in like a bunch of countries. That's like a bonus. Am I right?"

"He raises a good point," Natasha chimed in with a dangerous smile.

Tony smirked and continued. "Should you choose to ignore logic and continue with your ridiculous idea of locking us up, I have another question for you. What prison in this world or the next do you think could hold any of us? One way or another, one of us will get out and then… well, the result isn't pretty. We are called the Avengers after all. We take that avenging stuff pretty seriously." His eyes turned darker as he turned his full attention to the middle screen. "That brings me to my last point. And that is that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

"What?" one of the Council members murmured in confusion.

"Yes, what indeed. Or maybe the better question is how. How long did it take before you gave into Hammer, Senator Clark? One week? Two? A couple of days?"

Nick's brow furrowed even as the smug look on Phil's face turned slightly proud. He shook his head. Phil and his kids.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Clark protested.

"Really?" Tony drawled. "I'm talking about how the Intel for this horrendously obvious trap of a mission came from you. It was also you that insisted that Agent Barton be assigned to the mission. You're also the one that had three million dollars deposited in an offshore, very hard to trace unless you're me, account yesterday. Coincidentally the money came from one of Justin Hammer's many shell companies. The same one that paid for the ticket that got Jacque Duquesne into the country last week. Funny how that works."

"How dare you hack into my accounts? This is treason! This is ridiculous!"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "What's ridiculous is that you thought we wouldn't find out. Granted, we've been a little distracted with looking for Clint. But I'm excellent at multi-tasking. And nothing would make me happier than to take down the bastards that thought this was a good idea. In case you're missing the giant clue by four that would be you."

By this point, the room was full of confused murmuring as the rest of the Council clearly tried to figure out what was going on. Nick had to give Tony credit. He certainly did know how to prove a point.

"Mr. Stark," one of the screens spoke. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Senator Clark, all around crappy politician and horrible husband, has been selling SHIELD secrets for years. He leaked Justin Hammer's location to several interested parties. He also arranged for Hammer's escape by setting up that bogus mission and having our friend kidnapped."

"That's enough," Clark bellowed, slamming his hand on the table. "Mr. Stark, your lies are pathetic and I don't know what you hope to achieve….."

"If the Council would please take a look at your email, you'll find that you've all received every shred of evidence that I uncovered, including chats between Hammer and Senator Clark and phone records showing thirty minute conversations between our esteemed senator and the Swordsman. Incidentally, the last of these phone calls occurred yesterday."

There was a moment of silence as each of the Council members checked their emails. All except for one. That screen went blank as the man made a run for it. Nick opened his mouth to voice some sort of protest or objection when Tony laughed.

"Like that's going to help," he said, shaking his head. "The Council isn't the only one that received a list of Clark's dirty little secrets. I sent the same email with a little bit more to the FBI. They really don't like it when politicians sell national security secrets to foreign criminals. Especially French criminals. They're also not too fond of state leaders boinking underage high school interns in the office."

Nick now understood Phil's smug and proud expression. He couldn't help but feel the same. He was the director of SHIELD and even he wasn't entirely sure who the members of the WSC were. But Tony not only knew them but where they were hiding behind their screens. He managed to uncover dangerously incriminating information all while successfully locating and rescuing Clint. It all just served as an example of why he would never want to be on Tony's bad side. He made a mental note to increase R&D's budget to allow Tony and Bruce to explore and science until their heart's content.

"Well," one of the female Council members said, clearing her throat. "It would appear that we have grossly underestimated you."

"Yes, you have," Tony nodded. "And that was your only warning. Try this crap again and that's it. We're done. The Avengers will cut all ties with SHIELD and the WSC."

"Agent Romanoff, you have a long history with SHIELD. I believe this agency saved you from some trouble you were facing with your former employers. Does this statement stand true for you? Would you side against SHIELD?" one of the screens asked, looking in her direction. Natasha smiled again. Nick will always be amazed by all the things that woman could say in a smile.

"What Tony said stands for both me and Agent Barton."

"Captain Rogers?"

Steve met Tony's gaze and nodded. "Same here. Our loyalty doesn't like with SHIELD or even to you. It's to one another." Thor and Bruce nodded as well preempting any need to ask them the same question.

"Basically, you screw one of us, you screw all of us. You really don't want to do that," Tony finished. "Well, now that we've settled that last bit of nasty business, it's time to go check on our archer."

"And get my access to medical restored," Bruce muttered. "You free one megalomaniacal weapons dealer and all of a sudden you're persona non grata."

"Actually I think it's more the fact that you've Hulked out at least three times this weekend alone and caused hundreds of dollars in collateral damage," Natasha pointed out as they walked out the door.

"Oh, this coming from the same woman that caused a grown man to pee on himself just by walking a room?"

Natasha smirked, a finger toying with the end of her hair. "I can't help it if my reputation precedes me."

"That and the big knife you insist on carrying every where with you."

Fury watched as the team left, still bickering amongst them as if they didn't just mouth off to a collection of the most powerful people in the nation. As soon as they were gone, Nick turned a reproachful eye on the still silent screens.

"In case you were wondering, messing with them is a dumb ass idea. Really wouldn't recommend trying that again."

"I believe, Director Fury, that you may have a point."

* * *

It was common knowledge around the SHIELD headquarters that Clint Barton did not like doctors. The fact that he considered a man with doctor in front of his name to be one of his closest friends was nothing short of a miracle. But it seemed his goodwill extended to Bruce and ended there. He still didn't trust anyone else in a lab coat. Tony was starting to understand his point of view. If he had to deal with the arrogant, self-righteous idiots who staffed the medical unit, he would develop a chronic phobia too.

"Look Nurse Ratchet," Tony finally snapped, glaring at the older woman that was currently blocking them from their teammate. "I get it, ok? We're loud, noisy, and up until about half an hour ago, working pretty much in our own interests. But our own interest was getting that man in that room back safely. And we did. We got him back and now we just want to check on him. You saw what we did to the other idiot that tried to keep us from him. What makes you think we won't do the same again?"

There was a moment of heavy silence as the nurse that the two doctors called in to provide backup visibly considered what Tony was saying. While he was fairly certain that he wouldn't hit the woman, he was a little concerned at what he wouldn't do to get to Clint. If the idiots would just tell them if he was awake maybe they'd be a little less violent. He glanced out the corner of his eye at Thor and Natasha who were clearly itching for a fight. Ok, so they wouldn't be any less violent but they'd be contained in a room.

"Oh, thank god, Agent Coulson!"

The five Avengers whirled around at the sound of their handler's name. Mjolinir disappeared wherever it went when Thor wasn't swinging it in someone's direction. Natasha sighed heavily and crossed her arms over her chest with an air of petulance. Crisis averted… for now.

"What's going on?"

"What's going on is that your team is making a scene and disturbing our patients," one of the doctors spoke up, trying to force as much authority into his tone as possible. Phil looked about as impressed as the others felt.

"Have you tried giving them what they want?" Phil suggested.

"But… they're the reason the medical ward is overcrowded at the moment. Agent Romanoff is solely responsible for the injuries of eight men."

"It was only seven," Natasha corrected.

"The eighth was the agent that was hiding in the vents. Apparently he fell out because one of the vents wasn't screwed on properly," Steve replied. Natasha's features molded into an expression of absolute innocence. "Sir, I know that we may have caused a lot of trouble in the past few days but we really did it for a good reason."

"In addition to the eight men we're treating, we also have to deal with the damage that you, Captain Rogers, did to our prisoners. Duquesne will be in traction for a month before we can even think about transferring him from headquarters."

Steve stared at the doctor blankly. "I refuse to feel sorry about that."

"I wouldn't expect you too," Phil assured him. He turned his cool gaze on the still too self-important doctor. "Dr. Yeats, you'll find that the Avengers have been cleared of all charges against them and have been fully reinstated as official consultants to SHIELD. And as Agent Barton is a member of said consultant team, they have a right to know his current status."

Dr. Yeats looked ready to argue but finally common sense seemed to settle in for him. He sighed before running a hand through his thinning brown hair. "Fine, but I'm afraid I don't have good news to report." He cleared his throat, reading from a tablet in his hand. "As you know Agent Barton was kidnapped nearly two days ago. He was drugged, beaten and buried alive. His prognosis at the moment is not good. We're going to keep him here for at least a week in observation. If his condition does not improve, he will need to be transferred to a long term care facility."

"What?" Tony interjected. "He was fine! He was awake and talking to us. Now you're talking about him needing a long-term care facility?"

"I understand that you and Dr. Banner had a conversation with him but I believe it was the last of the adrenaline from being rescued. He is awake now but nonresponsive. We believe that he has entered a catatonic state."

Natasha arched an eyebrow before tuning the doctor out completely. "Phil, when can we bring him home?"

"I don't think you truly understand what's going on here."

"I really hate that everyone thinks it's us that doesn't understand," Steve muttered under his breath.

"Agent Barton has been through a significant trauma. He needs peace and constant supervision in order to begin recovering from this. With time, he may one day be able to return to the field." Tony rolled his eyes once again. Beside him, Bruce was also shaking his head.

"You're basing your diagnosis of catatonia on what data exactly?" Bruce asked. "How are his brain wave readings?"

"Normal but he is not responding to stimuli in the room nor does he respond to questions from staff…."

"That's what I thought," Bruce pushed past the nurse and the two doctors. For a fleeting moment, the trio looked like they were going to try and stop him but at the very last second remembered that they were dealing with a man that redefined anger issues. Tony was a little disappointed that they didn't think of just pushing Bruce past them in the first place. But that didn't stop him from smirking in the shell shocked doctors' faces as he followed his friend into the room.

Bruce was sitting on the edge of the hospital containing one Clint Barton. He looked even worse under the harsh lightning in the infirmary. The bruises stood out vividly against the pale canvas of his skin. Light blue eyes were open but glazed over as he stared at something beyond them all. His arms were by his sides with his hands open and loose. For all intents and purposes, he did look like he was gone. But Tony was familiar with the various aspects of Clint and his skills. That's why he wasn't surprised when Bruce tapped Clint on the hand, mindless of Yeats' protesting in the background.

"Steve and Thor are taking food orders. What do you want? Onion rings or IHOP?"

There was a pause before Clint blinked. His blank gaze turning clear and sharp even as he turned an incredulous glare in Bruce's direction. "You know sometimes it's like you don't even know me."

Bruce snorted, turning over his shoulder to the equally amused Thor and Steve. "Looks like it's both. And forgive me for not remembering that you're greedy."

"Not greedy, just starving," Clint whined, poking his growling stomach.

"But… how?" Dr. Yeats gaped in the background.

Bruce ruffled Clint's already beyond mussed hair before rising to stand beside Dr. Yeats. "Yeah, he doesn't really like doctors. Doesn't really trust them. So care to tell me what drugs your tests found in his system?"

The tone in his voice implied that Yeats better resign himself to liking it regardless of what he might've felt about the issue. Yeats left with Bruce to no doubt update the man on Clint's condition and start the discharge paperwork. That was a new one. They never really had to sign paperwork for him to get out before. They usually just waited by the most accessible back entrance. Clint was notorious for never spending more time than he deemed necessary (three hours tops) in the medical ward. Signing him out was bound to be weird.

"Clint Barton, it is good to see you, my friend!" Thor cheered with his usual lack of inside voice volume. Clint mustered a smile for the god but they could all see it was strained. Thor nodded. "I apologize. I was just very happy to see you."

Clint smiled a little brighter. "You don't know how happy I am to see you too, big guy."

Steve's hand hovered over the archer's shoulder for a moment before he simply covered Clint's hand with his own. "I'm glad you're back." Clint nodded. "So you want a chocolate milkshake too?"

Clint sniffled. "Steve, have I mentioned lately that I love you?"

Natasha laughed from where she sat on the bed beside Clint. Tony didn't remember her being there from the very beginning but damned if he could tell when she moved into the space. That was the thing about Clint and Natasha. They were in each other's space so much that you kind of forgot that they were two separate individuals.

"Should I be concerned? You're throwing out the L-word," Natasha pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "Do I need to be jealous?"

"Aw, baby," Clint smirked. "You know I'll never turn black leather down for stars and stripes."

Steve rolled his eyes. "And on that note, we'll be going to get the food now. See you at home."

"Aye, aye Captain," Clint called after Steve and Thor. The door wasn't fully closed behind them before Natasha was gently pulling him closer to her. The kiss was brief but the meaning behind was clear even to Tony. Clint didn't pull away. He simply held her head gently. "Sorry, Tasha."

"Don't ever disappear again," Natasha murmured. "Don't really like it."

"I'll try. Wasn't too much fun for me either."

Natasha gave him a weak smile before pressing her lips against his again. It was the closest to a declaration of love either of them was going to give with an audience. And Tony did appreciate the fact that they let their guard down that much. That didn't mean he couldn't live up to expectations.

"Hey, if you're done macking on the Hawk, some of us would like to continue the glad you're not a vegetable festivities."

"You're such an ass," Natasha muttered, pulling away from Clint. She patted him on the cheek before standing up all together. "You're lucky I have to go anyway."

"Where are you going?"

Natasha smirked. "To the airport with Phil to pick up Darcy and Jane. She's decided that he's to blame for her not knowing about Clint being kidnapped. She's also blaming him for her having to take a domestic flight back here. According to the messages I received once you put the satellite back, she has threatened to taze no less than ten people while waiting on the line. Phil's secretly afraid that he's met his match."

"Should be," Tony snorted. "It's all fun and a game with her until Clint gets a paper-cut. Then she wants to cut people." He held up the archer's heavily bruised arm. "This is a lot worse than a paper-cut."

Natasha shook her head. "Try and stay out of trouble while I'm gone. I'll meet you all back at the Tower once we get Darcy calm. But just in case, Tony move that bubble wrap out of the hall closet. I've been thinking about it, so I know Darcy will go for it."

"You actually bought it?" Clint asked, incredulously. "I thought you were just playing."

"I never play when it comes to my life, Barton. And my life is dependent on your safety. I'm not crossing your badass ninja girlfriend, your pseudo ninja father figure or his tazer happy assistant who thinks you're like her hot older brother."

Clint scrunched his nose up. "That sounds creepy."

"Well, it's creepy watching you."

Silence settled over the room. It took a moment before Tony realized that they all left on purpose. This was probably Bruce's doing. The whole leave Tony with the one person he doesn't want to be alone with at the moment plot just reeked of Banner.

"So you want to tell me what's on your mind?" Clint asked, toying with an arrowhead. Tony wasn't even going to ask where he got that from. His sanity depended on it. Almost as if he knew what he was thinking, Clint gave him another smirk but this one didn't reach his eyes. "Seriously, Tone? What's wrong?"

"A few years ago, the only people that gave a damn about me and vice versa were Rhodey and Pepper. And even they kept their distance. They still do. I know they care but sometimes I'm too much for them. But you guys… you don't keep your distance. You're here. You're under my skin. I care a lot more than I ever thought I would. That… bothers me."

"When I was a kid, my dad used to beat the hell out of us. My brother, Barney, he would do everything in his power to help but he was just a kid too, you know?" Clint spoke but his eyes took on that faraway look again. "When we were at the orphanage, he did the same thing. He was always there. And then we got to Carson's. And something changed. I still don't know what. But suddenly he stopped looking at me like I was something to protect and instead…."

"Something he wanted to destroy," Tony finished.

"Yeah. He was actually pissed that I ratted out Duquesne to Carson. He was there… when Duquesne…. He was there but he didn't help. He never helped. That night, he just left me there. The one person I trusted most in the world and he left me in a ditch. I promised I was never going to let anyone get that close again. Then I met Phil, Fury and Tasha. Then I met you guys."

Tony smiled a little. "Guess it's one of those mutual things, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it is." Clint continued to let the arrow dance over his fingers. "Tony?"

"Clint."

"I'm sorry for freaking out before."

Tony gave him a look. Was he seriously apologizing for freaking out after being buried alive? Then again this was Clint. Clint who despite constant reassurances, failed to understand that he was a vital part of this family. He just didn't grasp that when he hurt, they wanted to smash things in his honor. And right now he was hurting despite the very impressive front he was putting up. Yeats wasn't wrong when he said that the kid went through a significant trauma. And that was just the buried alive thing. He wasn't even getting started on the being kidnapped by your childhood demons. No, Clint was very much not ok at the moment but he would be. Because he had a family that would damn well make sure he was. With this in mind, Tony put a hand over Clint's, ceasing the fidgeting. Wide blue eyes met his.

"It's cool. We're even for last week when I got drunk and I asked you to hold my hair before I threw up on you."

Clint laughed. It was a real laugh. One that had his eyes lighting up and chasing away some of the darkness this whole ordeal left behind. For a brief moment, Clint shifted his hand to squeeze Tony's in gratitude.

"I almost forgot about that."

"Oh, well feel free to continue forgetting about it. I've been living in dread as to what you were going to come up with for revenge. Bruce promised it would likely be epic."

Clint's hand strayed towards his stitched up forehead. Tony smacked it downwards, earning a ghost of his usual glare. "It would've been great. I think. I kinda can't remember too good what it was."

Tony smiled. "I'm sure it was awesome." He leaned forward resting his elbow on the bed. "Clint, are we ok?"

"You mean because your less talented rival commissioned the man that basically took over my father's beat the hell out of Clint mentality to continue his mission of trying to kill me all to get at you?"

"In so many words, yes."

"Eh, we're even for that time I was possessed and pretty much single-handedly took down the entire hellicarrier."

"You did not single-handedly take down the hellicarrier."

"Uh, yeah. That was all me. And I would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for you meddling Avengers."

Tony started to protest when he took a moment to assess the absurdity of the situation. "Is it always going to be like this? Constant danger, tense moments and then smiles and laughs at the end of the day?"

"On the good days," Clint replied, easily.

Tony took in the younger man critically. He looked like he went ten rounds with Mike Tyson and a meat cleaver. And he counted this as a good day? Then again… he was here. He was as safe as he could possibly be. Tony wasn't stupid. He saw the tracker Natasha put on his shoulder earlier. He wasn't going anywhere they couldn't find him. Maybe it was a good day after all.

"Hey, I know that it's Sunday and everything but… you want to help me set Thor's cape on fire tonight?"

"It would be my genuine pleasure."

This superhero gig was going to take some getting used to. It was still screwed with his mind to know that he cared enough about people for them to be used as leverage against him. He was still amazed that those people cared about him in return. He supposed it was all apart of being part of a family.

"Tone?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Tony glanced down at the archer. His eyes were half-mast and he was clearly fighting off sleep. Tony squeezed his hand again.

"For what?"

"Finding me."

"I will always find you," Tony promised. "And I will never leave you."

Clint yawned, sinking into his pillow with a muffled grunt. "I know. Much better brother than Barney."

Tony blinked. It was the first time that Clint ever acknowledged the family connection out loud. He swallowed the lump in his throat to pat the younger man on the arm. "Go to sleep, kid. I'm here to keep watch. We'll be home before you know it. And then we're catching you up on Once Upon a Time."

"Awesome," Clint murmured. "Today's a good day." He was asleep before Tony could even formulate a reply. Tony smoothed back the blonde hair gently, watching as Clint sank further into his much needed sleep.

For the first time since Clint's communicator went dead, Tony felt relaxed. His family was back together and they were all relatively ok. Hammer and his prison pen pal were going to back to an actual maximum security facility where only Fury and Coulson would know. Things were looking up. Maybe he could learn to deal with this after all.

* * *

***This is my final author's note. Just a huge, HUGE, huge thank you to all the wonderful comments I've gotten throughout the story. I truly appreciate all of your reviews and feedback. There are two that I need to address and then I promise I'm shutting up and getting started on another story, lol. **

**To SilverNY57: You're right, there was a change. But I think it's attributed to that being the first time that Clint has seen Duquesne in over 15 years. After being tied to a chair and being subjected to his dramatic ways, I think the fear took a backseat to annoyance. After all the man has dealt with Loki and an alien invasion. I think Duquesne only warrants a little fear. But thanks for pointing it out. I need to find a better way to convey that in my writing.**

**To Black Night Angel: First, love the name. Second, no, there was no real reason for the chapters being titled after Living Things. I'm a huge LP fan and I've been playing the CD on repeat since I got it. So I guess you could say that it has been inspiring my writing for the past few weeks. And the songs just seemed to fit the chapters. **

**Also I took a lot of liberty with the WSC in this chapter. I don't really know a lot about them and I tried to look them up but couldn't find a lot of clear information. So I apologize if I got anything really horrendously wrong.  
**

**Ok, I'm done now. Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to read, favorite and/or review. I appreciate the love. Makes my day! Ciao for now.**


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